Scratch: The Ultimate DJ granted restraining order
In the ongoing court battle between Scratch: The Ultimate DJ co-publishers Genius Products and Numark vs. DJ Hero publisher Activision, the first of many legal battles has been detailed. According to a press release sent out by Genius Products, the Los Angeles Superior Court has granted the Scratch developers a temporary restraining order and told Activision-owned 7 Studios to return all source code.
Additionally, 7 Studios is being court-ordered to return "pre-existing developer tools and technology" used in the game's 18-month development cycle, presumably including the "nine custom-manufactured turntable and beat-button game controllers" claimed by Numark as being held hostage by 7 Studios and, in turn, Activision. Outside of returning all the equipment used in the development of Scratch, 7 Studios' CEO, Lewis Peterson, has been effectively banned from any involvement with the game and the former Scratch team has been ordered not to speak about its development. This news clashes directly with allegations put forth by Activision last week, positing that the Los Angeles Superior Court had denied said restraining order. We've put in a request for comment to Activision and will update this post as we find out more.
