The dismissal is in response to a lawsuit filed by Upper Deck last month; Ravensburger says the launch of Disney Lorcana is on track for August.
As reported by Dicebreaker, Ravensburger, which is due to launch the hotly anticipated trading card game Disney Lorcana next month, has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought against it by Upper Deck Entertainment.
The dismissal is in response to legal proceedings initiated by Upper Deck last month in which the company alleged that a co-designer of Lorcana, a previous employee of Upper Deck, had used its original TCG design. It was alleged that Ravensburger has repackaged and marketed a game known as Rush of Ikorr as Lorcana.
Within the lawsuit document, Upper Deck claimed that Ravensburger “seeks to profit from […] stolen property” and asserted that Ravensburger intended to “capitalise on [the designer’s] knowledge of the elements of Rush of Ikorr so he could make a near-identical game for it.”
The lawsuit outlined the apparent similarities between Rush of Ikorr and Disney Lorcana. Upper Deck is seeking “general and special damages,” from Ravensburger, including preventing the studio from releasing Lorcana.
Ravensburger initially responded to Upper Deck’s lawsuit with a statement from Lisa Krueger, senior communications director for Ravensburger North America, citing “baseless claims” that were “entirely without merit.”
In a follow up statement provided to Dicebreaker, Lisa Krueger said: “We’re glad to be moving forward with the legal process and feel very confident in our position. In the meantime, our team is keeping its focus on the upcoming launch.”
Brian Lewis, legal advisor for Ravensburger, added: “Ravensburger has an extremely strong case here, and we hope it will be dismissed outright based on today’s motion. While we respect the valid intellectual property rights of others, this appears to be more of a PR stunt than a genuine legal dispute.”
The dismissal motion document includes the statement that “discovery will show Upper Deck’s Complaint to be a strained and clumsy effort to slow down a competitor,” and that “Upper Deck’s laundry-list of claims fails as a matter of law, even under the most basic level of scrutiny.” The motion adds that: “even a cursory review of the two games would show that Ravensburger’s game—which is based on Disney characters […] is nothing like Upper Deck’s card game.”
Upper Deck responded to a request to comment on Ravensburger’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, saying: “We will continue to prosecute this case to enforce our rights and to ensure fair play within the gaming community.”
Disney Lorcana is set to be released in a limited capacity at this year’s Gen Con event – which takes place between 3rd and 6th of August. In the UK, the TCG wil receive a wider release on August 18th at independent and hobby shops, supported by a robust robust organised play programme. This will be followed by the national retail launch commencing 1st September.
