WWE Hall of Famer and former World Heavyweight champion Booker T filed a copyright infringement suit against the publishers of the video game franchise Call of Duty, claiming its character Prophet is too similar to the G.I. Bro comic book action hero character he created while in WCW. Prophet is part of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 game, and also an inspiration for some online slots games of the same genre.
“When seen side-by-side there can be no question that this character was copied from G.I. Bro. From the hair, body type and clothing, right down to facial expressions, the similarities are too profound to be an accident,” said Micah Dortch of the Dallas office of the Potts Law Firm who are representing Booker. Houston attorney Patrick Zummo with the Law Offices of Patrick Zummo is also assisting.
Since the 2015 release of the G.I. Bro and the Dragon of Death Preview and G.I. Bro and the Dragon of Death comic books, Mr. Huffman has appeared at a number of events dressed as G.I. Bro to promote the titles.
“Booker T. has devoted a significant amount of time and money creating and organically growing his G.I. Bro character,” said Mr. Dortch. “That entrepreneurial investment should not be erased by such a blatant act of copyright infringement by a gaming juggernaut.”
The case is Booker T. Huffman v. Activision Publishing, Inc., Activision Blizzard, Inc., and Major League Gaming Corp. and was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
