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Oculus calls ZeniMax lawsuit an attempt to cash in on Facebook acquisition

Oculus calls ZeniMax lawsuit an attempt to cash in on Facebook acquisition

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Oculus VR has struck back at id Software owner ZeniMax over a lawsuit alleging that Oculus used stolen code to build its famous Rift headset. In a court filing today, Oculus paints ZeniMax's suit as opportunistic and claims unequivocally that its products do not use ZeniMax code. "ZeniMax’s complaint falsely claims ownership in Oculus VR technology in a transparent attempt to take advantage of the Oculus VR sale to Facebook," the filing reads, later saying, "There is not a line of ZeniMax code or any of its technology in any Oculus VR product."

"The perceived chance for a quick payout"

Oculus was bought by Facebook for $2 billion earlier this year, and ZeniMax's suit followed not long after. id Software's founder, John Carmack, left for Oculus VR shortly before that, and his presence at the company certainly lends to the lawsuit's narrative. ZeniMax says that it's been working on virtual reality technology for years too, and it's clear that the two companies have been in close contact for a while.

That said, Oculus claims that ZeniMax hasn't even identified the specific technology it claims has been stolen. "ZeniMax had never identified any ‘stolen’ code or technology in any Oculus VR product, although ZeniMax had the full source code for the Oculus VR software for over a year and a half," the filing reads. Oculus says that ZeniMax sees the chance here for "a quick payout," and that there's nothing substantial to its suit.