Tencent-owned Riot Games filed a lawsuit against ByteDance-led Shanghai Moonton Technology in Los Angeles federal court on May 9, 2022, for "blatant copying" of the game's mobile version. To simplify, Riot Games filed a complaint against Moonton's "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang" for copying "League of Legends: Wild Rift."
Riot said in the lawsuit that Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) copies extensively from League of Legends: Wild Rift (LoL WR), infringing copyrights in multiple elements of the game and its promotional materials.
Riot added that the lawsuit followed "years of serial copying" by the Shanghai-based mobile games developer. The complainant stated that Moonton has been copying its PC MOBA title League of Legends in mobile games since 2015.
It also filed a lawsuit in the same court in 2017, alleging that Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and other Moonton games copied League of Legends. The said case was dismissed the following year after it was determined that it would be better resolved in China. This recent lawsuit alleges that Moonton engaged in a "deliberate and sustained campaign" of copying and imitating new aspects of Wild Rift whenever Riot updates its game.
As per the lawsuit, MLBB has been downloaded from the Google Play Store over 500 million times.
Riot stated that the similarities between the games include their user interfaces, character designs, skills, and accessories. Moreover, Moonton allegedly ripped off promotional materials for Wild Rift, including video trailers and customized Nike sneakers.
ByteDance, which also owns TikTok, outbid Tencent to acquire Moonton for nearly USD 4 billion in 2021. A former Tencent employee founded Moonton.
Meanwhile, Riot Games is located in Los Angeles. Last year, it launched Wild Rift in the United States.