Magic: The Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast has filed a lawsuit against Cryptozoic Entertainment and Hex Entertainment alleging that the companiesâ online card game Hex: Shards of Fate is a Magic clone.
Hereâs the Wizards of the Coast statement, which was posted on the companyâs website today:
Today Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington against Cryptozoic Entertainment, LLC and its alter ego, Hex Entertainment, LLC (collectively, âCryptozoicâ), for willful infringement of intellectual property rights.
Cryptozoic develops and publishes the digital trading card game, Hex: Shards of Fate, a clone of the world famous tabletop collectable trading card game, Magic: The GatheringÂź, and its digital expressions, Magic OnlineÂź and the Magic: The Gathering â Duels of the PlaneswalkersÂź franchise.
âHasbro and Wizards of the Coast vigorously protect our intellectual property. This infringement suit against Cryptozoic demonstrates that while we appreciate a robust and thriving trading card game industry, we will not permit the misappropriation of our intellectual propertyâ said Barbara Finigan, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Hasbro. âWe attempted to resolve this issue, but Cryptozoic was unwilling to settle the matter.â
The suit includes claims for copyright, patent and trade dress infringement.
Weâve reached out to Wizards of the Coast, Cryptozoic, and Hex Entertainment for comment. Weâll update the story once we hear back.
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