Ubisoft Files Lawsuit Against Google & Apple Over Rainbow Six Clone
In what appears to be a serious move against copyright-infringing mobile games, Ubisoft has filed a lawsuit against both Google and Apple over a game called ‘Area F2’. Currently available for free on both company’s mobile platforms, Area F2 is extraordinarily similar to Rainbow Six: Siege; similar enough that Ubisoft is demanding that the game be taken down.
Ubisoft’s Lawsuit Against Google & Apple Over ‘Area F2’
At present, Rainbow Six: Siege is one of Ubisoft’s most successful and profitable games. However, the game is not free-to-play or available on mobile, and it appears that Area F2 is exploiting this particular gap in the market. Of course, if Area F2 simply used similar gameplay mechanics, it wouldn’t necessarily be a problem. However, the game is a “near carbon copy” of Rainbow Six: Siege, according to Ubisoft.
“Rainbow Six: Siege is among the most popular competitive multiplayer games in the world,” Ubisoft has stated; “and is among Ubisoft’s most valuable intellectual properties. Virtually every aspect of AF2 is copied from R6S, from the operator selection screen to the final scoring screen, and everything in between.”
Unfortunately, as is common with many rip-off games like Area F2, the game’s developers and publisher are based in China. As a result, it would be very difficult for Ubisoft to go after the game directly through a foreign copyright claim. The Chinese video game market (particularly on mobile) is infamous for free-to-play rip-offs of popular games. In recent years, successful titles like Fortnite, PUBG, and COD: Black Ops have all fallen victim to this practice.
However, while there is little that Ubisoft can do directly to take down the game in China, the publisher may at least be able to get the game removed from Western mobile storefronts. As such, their lawsuit demands the removal of Area F2 from both the App Store and Google Play Store. If successful, it would greatly restrict access to the game outside of China. Indeed, it could also become a precedent for other publishers to take down other mobile rip-offs in a similar fashion. Neither Google nor Apple have issued statements in response to Ubisoft’s lawsuit as of the time of writing.