Author files suit against Activision over True Crime

One of Activision's biggest titles for Christmas this year, True Crime: The Streets of LA, has come under legal fire from a popular American author who claims that its central character is based on one of his creations.

Novelist Robert Crais, whose works include airport fare such as LA Requiem and Free Fall, claims that True Crime's Nick Kang is a rip off of his character, Elvis Cole, an ex-LAPD cop with a penchant for violence and mirrored sunglasses.

In fact, that seems to be pretty much the entire substance of the lawsuit, and given the sheer number of novels and dreadful seventies TV series out there which cover broadly the same ground, it's hard to see this one getting far in court. Crais, however, is seeking an injunction preventing the release of the game, monetary damages and the destruction of all infringing works.

Activision, for its part, doesn't seem to be too bothered by the lawsuit, telling games website GameSpot that it doesn't expect the release of the game to be delayed on account of the legal action. True Crime has been plagued with rumours of delays for several months, with industry rumours suggesting that the game would be pushed back to 2004, but all indications at the moment are that it's on target to meet its November release date.