3D Realms and Interceptor Entertainment have found themselves in hot water after Gearbox Software accused them of illegally using the Duke Nukem licence.

This is due to the countdown site for Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction, developed by 3D Realms and Interceptor, even though the licence for the series passed hands to Gearbox in 2010. According to the complaint in question “3DR sought to privately convince others that the sale never happened…The result is the unauthorized development effort”.

The suit filed by Gearbox against the pair, includes evidence that 3D Realms knowingly infringed on their intellectual property. The document in question is 3D Realms CEO Scott Miller acknowledging what they had done.

If the evidence is that cut and dry, this seems like a relatively simple case. However, given the finicky nature of the law in same cases, the rabbit hole may go deeper than this.