FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Contacts:
Contact: Wayne Charness
Hasbro, Inc.
401.727.5983
wcharness@hasbro.com.
Contact: Tolena Thorburn
Wizards of the Coast LLC
425.204.8011
Tolena Thorburn@Wizards.com.
December 16, 2009 (Pawtucket, RI) - Hasbro, Inc. today filed a complaint in the District Court of Rhode Island against Infogrames Entertainment S.A, a.k.a Atari, S.A., alleging fraud and five different breaches of their licensing agreement for the
Dungeons & Dragons brand.
Dungeons & Dragons is owned by Hasbro’s wholly-owned subsidiary Wizards of the Coast, who discovered earlier this year that Atari may have entered into an unauthorized sublicensing relationship with Namco Bandai Partners (NBP) for the
Dungeons & Dragons digital game rights. NBP is a competitor for both Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro, and such an agreement is prohibited under the contract between Hasbro and Atari.
“While unfortunate that we had to take this action, it is crucial for us to protect the
Dungeons & Dragons brand,” said Greg Leeds, President of Wizards of the Coast. “We have been working for several months now to reach resolution with Atari, and they have left us with no other choice than to pursue legal action.”
Hasbro is seeking compensatory damages for economic losses suffered as well as a termination of the licensing agreement.
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Sounds JUST like something Atari would do.... But it sounds like some DnD/Forgotten Realms games are in the works, or will soon be maybe!!