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ARTICLE · 26 JULY 2021

Will 101 Be A Nemesis To Warner Brothers' Patent?

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP
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On February 23, 2021, after nearly five years, the USPTO issued to Warner Brothers U.S. Patent No. 10,926,179, entitled "Nemesis Characters, Nemesis Forts, Social Vendettas and Followers in Computer Games" ("the Nemesis Patent").

United StatesIntellectual Property
Anthony Del Monaco
Anthony Del Monaco
Christopher C. Howes
Christopher C. Howes
Forrest Jones
Forrest Jones
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Background

On February 23, 2021, after nearly five years, the USPTO issued to Warner Brothers  U.S. Patent No. 10,926,179, entitled "Nemesis Characters, Nemesis Forts, Social Vendettas and Followers in Computer Games" ("the Nemesis Patent"). This patent is linked to the Warner Brothers' Nemesis System, which made its first appearance in the 2014 Lord of the Rings video game Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor.

The Nemesis System, as Warner Brothers explains, is an innovative system "through which every enemy encountered in [the game] is procedurally generated and unique to each player, from appearance, to personality type, to strengths and weaknesses," and "can evolve to become a personal archenemy through the course of the game."1

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