Jaffe: Sony Lawyers Should Start Sending Out Some Letters

On his blog, David Jaffe writes that similarities between Microsoft’s upcoming Scrap Metal and Sony’s Twisted Metal, as well as the film title “War of the Gods,” should both rate “a sternly worded legal letter,” from Sony’s lawyer-mans.

Jaffe, the designer who directed both Twisted Metal and God of War emphasizes that he doesn’t own either and has no standing to sue anyone. And in an update to quell the reaction to his post, he insists he’s not angry or that he hates either the game or the movie in question. But the genie’s out of the bottle. This is what he wrote.

[I]f I owned the rights to TWISTED METAL and GOD OF WAR, I sure as hell would at the least send a sternly worded legal letter.

Heck, I’d send two legal letters if it were me.

I mean, first Microsoft puts out a car combat game and calls it SCRAP METAL?

Hey, looks like a great game! Right up my alley! Day one purchase for me. But come on guys, isn’t that just a little too close to Sony’s own car combat game TWISTED METAL?

And then Sony has GOD OF WAR, a game and potential movie about mortals fighting ancient Greek Gods. And then this movie gets announced called WAR OF THE GODS about- yep!- mortals fighting ancient Greek Gods.

Jaffe points out that he’s not an expert on copyright law and neither am I or anyone who reads his blog. It strikes me that if Sony’s ever going to sue Microsoft over a video game-related matter, it’s gonna have to be for something really blatant, and probably a lot bigger than a downloadable game.

George Lucas Gonna Sue Somebody [DavidJaffe.biz]