WWE, 2K Games Sued Over WWE 2K Franchise For Alleged Copyright Infringement

A lawsuit has been filed against WWE and 2K Games over allegations of copyright infringement in the WWE 2K franchise. Wrestling Inc reports that WCWA Wrestling head Nathaniel Tatha-Nanandji filed a lawsuit in Arkansas against WWE, TKO, 2K Sports, 2K Games, and Take-Two Interactive. The lawsuit alleges that a copyrighted audiovisual sequence for the entrance of a faction was utilized in the game for the Bloodline.

According to the lawsuit, a talent working for WCWA asked for footage of their work when they began working on WWE Smackdown in 2019. The lawsuit says the situation created an awareness of WCWA’s set-up, and that a WWE employee later attended the promotion’s show. The complaint alleges that said WWE employee maintained contact with Tatha-Nanandji and kept their eyes on WCWA.

The copyrighted sequence in question, dubbed “Tier 1 Audiovisual Sequence” in the lawsuit, was publicly displayed through 2021. It notes that in September of that year, WWE began using a “visually and narratively similar ritualized audiovisual sequence for its Bloodline faction.” 

The lawsuit alleges:

“Through these direct and indirect channels, including internal scouting review and publicly accessible WCWA content on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, WWE and its affiliates had a reasonable opportunity to view, study, and copy the Tier 1 Audiovisual Sequence prior to and during Defendants’ development and exploitation of substantially similar audiovisual content.”

The plaintiff states that they sent a formal notice to WWE notifying them of the infringement, but that the defendants continued to use the sequence. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial to determine any compensation for the alleged infringement. The defendants have been issued a summons but have yet to respond.

The latest entry in the franchise was WWE 2K25, which released on March 14th.