SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) - The founders of a fantasy sports company is suing the nation's largest sports broadcasting company claiming patent infringement over a fantasy sports game.
Suicide Fantasy Sports filed the lawsuit against ESPN on June 25 in a California federal court, claiming the network's “Gridiron Challenge” violated Suicide's patent.
The lawsuit states Suicide was granted the patent in August 2013. The concept is an elimination-based fantasy sports game, which changes every week. A player becomes unavailable in following weeks once he is selected to be on a fantasy team during the current week.
The Gridiron Challenge, the lawsuit contends, is the same format as covered in the patent.
When Suicide reached out to ESPN in 2013, the network said the game may be discontinued; however, it was brought back in 2014. ESPN never obtained permission from Suicide to use its fantasy game format, according to the lawsuit.
The company is seeking an unspecified amount in damages plus court costs. The company is represented by Andrew D. Skale and Ben L. Wagner of Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC in San Diego.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California case number 3:15-cv-01396