The social network game developer Zynga, best known for its association with Facebook, has reportedly settled its copyright infringement dispute with Californian video game company Digital Chocolate over the popular game Mafia Wars.
In the lawsuit, Digital Chocolate alleged that Zynga’s 2008 game for Facebook, Mafia Wars, infringed on the copyright of its 2004 game for the mobile of the same name.
According to the latest reports, the two companies have come to an agreement and a settlement has been reached. The terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, however, as neither party has released a public statement as of yet.
The Mafia Wars game has been at the centre of a number of lawsuits involving breach of intellectual property, although Zynga no doubt has professional indemnity insurance in place to cover the costs of litigation.
The company settled a previous copyright infringement lawsuit over Mafia Wars in 2009, when the creator of a game called Mob Wars, David Maestri, lodged a complaint. Zynga also sued Playdom, a company owned by Disney, claiming that its Mobsters game infringed on the trademark of Mafia Wars.