Oculus responds to ZeniMax lawsuit: ‘No merit whatsoever’

Earlier today, ZeniMax Media announced that it, along with subsidiary id Software, has filed a lawsuit against Oculus, creators of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, and Oculus founder Palmer Luckey.

Oculus' response?

"The lawsuit filed by ZeniMax has no merit whatsoever. As we have previously said, ZeniMax did not contribute to any Oculus technology. Oculus will defend these claims vigorously," Oculus said in a statement to us.

In the lawsuit, ZeniMax alleges that Luckey and Oculus VR illegally misappropriated ZeniMax trade secrets relating to virtual reality technology, and infringed ZeniMax copyrights and trademarks. ZeniMax also asserts claims for "breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and unfair competition."

"The suit arises from the defendants’ unlawful exploitation of intellectual property, including trade secrets, copyrighted computer code, and technical know-how relating to virtual reality technology that was developed by ZeniMax after years of research and investment," the statement reads. "ZeniMax provided this valuable intellectual property to defendants under a binding Non-Disclosure Agreement that specifies such intellectual property is owned exclusively by ZeniMax and cannot be used, disclosed, or transferred to third parties without ZeniMax’s approval. ZeniMax’s intellectual property has provided the fundamental technology driving the Oculus Rift since its inception. Nevertheless, the defendants refused all requests from ZeniMax for reasonable compensation and continue to use ZeniMax’s intellectual property without authorization."

ZeniMax also added that all efforts to resolve this matter amicably "have been unsuccessful."

“Intellectual property forms the foundation of our business,” said Robert Altman, Chairman & CEO of ZeniMax. “We cannot ignore the unlawful exploitation of intellectual property that we develop and own, nor will we allow misappropriation and infringement to go unaddressed.”