ZeniMax Media and id Software file suit against Oculus VR and its founder

ZeniMax Media.and its subsidiary, id Software, have filed a suit against Oculus VR and its founder, Palmer Luckey. The suit was filed today in federal court in the U.S. Disctrict Court for the Northern District of Texas.

In the statement sent to us today, ZeniMax alleges that Luckey and Oculus VR, the company behind the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, 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."

ZeinMax claims that all efforts to resolve this matter amicably have been unsuccessful, pointing out Oculus' most recent public statement in which the company said "ZeniMax has never contributed IP or technology to Oculus." ZeniMax also goes on to say that Luckey, who has "held himself out to the public as the visionary developer of virutal reality technology, used key technology developed by ZeniMax to establish Oculus.

“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.”

"ZeniMax and id Software take their intellectual property rights seriously," added P. Anthony Sammi, a Partner of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP which represents ZeniMax and id in this matter. "We now look to the federal courts and will pursue all appropriate measures available under the law to rectify defendants’ egregious conduct."

Oculus has not yet sent us a statement in response.