Despite the lukewarm reception ofBlack OpsCold War,Call of Duty: Modern Warfareis still beloved by players. With thenext DLC rumored to be dropping “any day now,“it’s clear thatModern Warfareand its counterparts inCall of Duty: MobileandWarzoneare not slowing down.
At least, they aren’t slowing down on a gameplay front. On a legal level,Call of Duty: Modern Warfarehas hit a snag, and from an unexpected source. A man named Clayton Haugen is suing Activision over copyright infringement, claiming that one of the characters inCall of Duty: Modern Warfareis a direct ripoff of his copyrighted character.
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Specifically, Haugen claims that the character Mara, one of the central figures acrossModern Warfare,Mobile, andWarzone, is a direct copy of his copyrighted character Cade Janus. He bases this on the fact that, apparently, both are based off the same thing: a photoshoot Haugen commissioned from cosplayer and actress Alex Zedra. According to Haugen, the photoshoot was used as part of a movie pitch for a film centered on Cade Janus, and was later copied by Activision as the basis for Mara. If the lawsuit swings in Haugen’s favor, Mara may drop fromplayer’s expectations forCall of Duty: Modern Warfarein 2021.
Haugen further claims that Mara was an essential part of Activision’s marketing campaign forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare. Female protagonists are very seldom front and center for theCall of Dutyfranchise, and Haugen claims Mara’s presence helped makeCall of Duty: Modern Warfarea serious money maker. While his exact photoshoot was not claimed as the source of Mara’s design, Haugen does claim that Activision asked Zedra to recreate the ensemble used for his shoot, attempting to copy the design as closely as possible.
To this end, Haugen has called for a trial by jury, claiming copyright infringement for his character. If he wins the lawsuit, Activision could well owe him a lot of money. Despitefans not liking the ads in recent games, no one can deny theCall of Dutyfranchise is lucrative, andModern Warfareis a standout.
That said, the lawsuit seems shaky in places.Call of Duty: Modern Warfarehas been out for some time, and Haugen’s photoshoot happened back around 2013. Also, despite some similarities between the character’s, it looks like it will be a little tricky to prove one is infringing on the other based off a shared inspiration. Activision hasfixed game breaking bugs forModern Warfare, now players will see if it can fix the game’s legal troubles as well.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfareis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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