Gears of Law Suits: Epic counters Silicon Knights UE3 claims

Law suits are often a bloody affair, and this one between Epic Games and Silicon Knights over Unreal Engine 3 definitely paints the worst picture. After Silicon Knights filed charges of breach of contract and fraud backed by several alleged statements made by Epic Games, the defendant’s counsel fired back at the claims last Monday and stated that such statements couldn’t be solid foundations.

Epic Games filed a motion for dismissal and stated in an 11-page document that “these statements [by Silicon Knights] do not appear in the License Agreement,” and argued that the statements were made preceding the License Agreement through earlier emails and meetings by personnel of the company.

Epic remained firm that the contract with Silicon Knights regarding all things Unreal Engine 3-related was fully represented by the License Agreement as “the entire understanding of [both] the parties.” In addition, the terms of the contract superseded agreements made before in both oral and written forms.

Claims made by Silicon Knights on breach of contract, tortious interference, unfair trade practices, unjust enrichment, cancellation and reformation of the license agreement, and declaratory relief were also attacked by Epic, concluding that “SKÂ’s brief does not overcome the multiple legal defects in the Complaint.”

Epic’s filing asked for a consideration to dismiss, before the pre-trial discovery began to drain wads of financial resources from the company. “SK simply wants to defer any consideration of the sufficiency of its pleading so it can oppress Epic with burdensome and expensive discovery,” said the document.

Law suits are often a bloody affair, and this one between Epic Games and Silicon Knights over Unreal Engine 3 definitely paints the worst picture. After Silicon Knights filed charges of breach of contract and fraud backed by several alleged statements made by Epic Games, the defendant’s counsel fired back at the claims last Monday and stated that such statements couldn’t be solid foundations.

Epic Games filed a motion for dismissal and stated in an 11-page document that “these statements [by Silicon Knights] do not appear in the License Agreement,” and argued that the statements were made preceding the License Agreement through earlier emails and meetings by personnel of the company.

Epic remained firm that the contract with Silicon Knights regarding all things Unreal Engine 3-related was fully represented by the License Agreement as “the entire understanding of [both] the parties.” In addition, the terms of the contract superseded agreements made before in both oral and written forms.

Claims made by Silicon Knights on breach of contract, tortious interference, unfair trade practices, unjust enrichment, cancellation and reformation of the license agreement, and declaratory relief were also attacked by Epic, concluding that “SKÂ’s brief does not overcome the multiple legal defects in the Complaint.”

Epic’s filing asked for a consideration to dismiss, before the pre-trial discovery began to drain wads of financial resources from the company. “SK simply wants to defer any consideration of the sufficiency of its pleading so it can oppress Epic with burdensome and expensive discovery,” said the document.