You probably recall that back in May, Riot Games sued MOONTON, in a complaint filed in the US, due to Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and its alleged similarities with League of Legends: Wild Rift. While Tencent Holdings, the mother company of Riot Games and won a $2.9 million lawsuit against Moonton Technology CEO Xu Zhenhua in China back in 2018, the latter sued the former for commercial slander.
“The company had fabricated and spread false information that was inconsistent with the facts and hindered the cooperation between the plaintiff and relevant partners. This behavior caused serious damage to MOONTON Game’s business reputation and should bear legal responsibility,” MOONTON said in its statement after receiving CNY 220,000 in compensation in its filing against Tencent.
In its statement, MOONTON elaborated that since the launch of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in June 2016, it has surpassed Honor of Kings, the MOBA rival developed by Tencent, in Southeast Asia. MOONTON filed a complaint against Tencent for unfair competition back in 2019, citing that the latter was fabricating and spreading false information for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang allegedly plagiarizing League of Legends: Wild Rift, a title by Riot Games, and Honor of Kings.
With the case lasting for many years, the final trial has revealed that Tencent committed commercial slander, and the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court has ordered the company to pay MOONTON CNY 220,000 (or around Php 1.8 million) in compensation “for economic losses and reasonable expenses.”