Dispute Erupts Over Copyright Usage as Playdead Co-Founder Seeks $73K for Image on LinkedIn
“The last time you attempted to intimidate me, I stated that I would make this public. So here we are.”
Dino Patti, co-founder of Playdead, has been faced with a legal threat after he shared a now-removed LinkedIn post that featured an “unauthorized” statement from co-founder Arnt Jensen.
Patti departed from Playdead in 2016. In 2017, detailed insights into the conflicts behind the bitter separation between Playdead’s top officials emerged following a report by a Danish publication about the discord that had arisen between him and creative director Arnt Jensen.
In what Patti termed a “legal love letter” dated March 3, he disclosed that Jensen has requested just over $73,000 in “appropriate compensation and reimbursement.” Patti mentioned that he has “frequently” received such letters over the past 9 years.
In the correspondence, Playdead stated: “We wish to reiterate and warn that your persistent use of Playdead’s assets and any disclosure and exploitation of confidential information regarding Playdead for commercial purposes is infringing and constitutes a violation of confidentiality agreements and loyalty obligations concerning information obtained during your employment at Playdead.”
“By sharing core insights into the development of Limbo, you are misleadingly implying that you played a significant role, including a creative role, in the game’s development. This misrepresents your involvement to business partners and the gaming industry, as you were not actually a key contributor to the creative process of Limbo.”
“My former partner has threatened me with an IP lawsuit because I used a publicly accessible image in a LinkedIn post three months ago, featuring the game Limbo that we created together at Playdead,” Patti wrote on LinkedIn.
“Arnt, last time you tried to intimidate me, I informed you…