EA Files Dillinger Lawsuit

04 Sep 2009 at 11:18:18 by Tim McDonald

Electronic Arts has filed a lawsuit aimed at getting court approval for the use of the name "Dillinger" with regards to the machine guns in the Godfather series of games.

According to the lawsuit, the need for this arose when Dillinger LLC - the company that owns the Dillinger likeness rights, and is apparently run by the grandson of John Dillinger's half-sister - took issue with the company calling its machine guns the "Dillinger Tommy Gun" and the "Modern Dillinger."

EA's lawsuit is petitioning, essentially, for court approval to use the Dillinger name on their guns. EA claims, according to the lawsuit, that "EA's works do not violate any right to publicity or infringe any trademark. The works are also protected by the First Amendment, state constitutions, and the doctrine of nominative fair use, among other defenses."

You can check out the lawsuit for yourself over on GamePolitics - which also notes that Dillinger LLC has previously sued a Tucson event called "Dillinger Days" that commemorated the capture of John Dillinger.

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