VIDEO GAMING GIANTS NAMED IN PATENT INFRINGEMENT LAWSUIT, THQI First to Settle with McRo, Inc.

New York, NY (Law Firm Newswire) September 27, 2013 – McRo, Inc., a pioneering, privately held visual effects company announced today that it has entered into a settlement agreement with THQ, Inc. (“THQI”). THQI is one of the 25 top gaming companies* named in actions brought on behalf of McRo, the Marina Del Rey based firm that provides 3D computer graphics and other services to the entertainment industry. McRo’s legal team at the international law firm, Mishcon de Reya New York LLP, filed complaints in California and Delaware courts for infringement of United States Patent Nos. 6,307,576 and 6,611,278, both entitled “Method for Automatically Animating Lip Synchronization and Facial Expression of Animated Characters.” As part of the agreement, THQI will pay $600,000.00 to resolve the outstanding actions, while Electronic Arts, Activision, Disney, Sony and others will continue to battle it out.

The THQI settlement is a notable victory for McRo and the Mishcon team since the domestic division of the video game maker filed for bankruptcy in December of 2012. The yearlong charge against the collection of gaming giants has been lead by Mark S. Raskin, a Partner at the litigation-focused firm. “It’s incredibly important and rewarding to defend a small inventor’s interests in the current anti-patent environment”, said Raskin. McRo’s founder, Maury Rosenfeld, the named inventor on the patents, is a highly accomplished, award winning computer graphics/visual effects designer and animator recognized for his advancement and contributions to the industry. “I’m thrilled with this result and all of the work the team put into this effort” Mr. Rosenfeld said. The legal team will return to the courts in California and Delaware as they champion for the protection of inventors’ rights.

*Companies filed against include:
California: CAPCOM USA, INC., DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS, INC., ELECTRONIC ARTS, INC., INSOMNIAC GAMES, INC., KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT, INC., NAMCO BANDAI GAMES AMERICA, INC., NAUGHTY DOG, INC., NEVERSOFT ENTERTAINMENT, INC., OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT, INC. SEGA OF AMERICA, INC., SQUARE ENIX, INC., THQ, INC., TREYARCH CORPORATION
Delaware: WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT, INC., 2K GAMES, INC., ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC., BETHESDA SOFTWORKS LLC, HARMONIX MUSIC SYSTEMS, INC., INFINITY WARD, INC, LUCASARTS ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY, LLC, ROCKSTAR GAMES, INC., SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA, LLC, SUCKER PUNCH PRODUCTIONS, LLC, TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE, INC., CODEMASTERS USA GROUP, INC.,

About McRo
Founded in 1988, McRo Inc. specializes in animation, visual and graphic effects. Based in Marina Del Rey, CA, the firm has worked with some of the leading companies in the world, including Coca-Cola and BMW, on their commercials and with notable directors on countless films and television programs. Its founder, Mr. Rosenfeld, is a highly accomplished computer graphics/visual effects designer and animator who has developed several patented programs that are used across the industry. His bi-coastal award-winning career in audio and visual effects has had him working on groundbreaking programs that have earned him an Emmy, Hollywood Reporter, Monitor and National Computer Graphics Association award.

About Mishcon de Reya New York LLP
Mishcon de Reya New York LLP opened in 2010 with a small group of lawyers having two things in common: a proven track record in New York City and a desire to create a new kind of law firm in the city.
This approach has attracted some of New York’s finest attorneys to join the practice. Since 2010, the Firm has expanded considerably. We have 9 Partners and over 25 other attorneys with capabilities across ten different practice areas: Complex Civil Litigation, IP and Patent Litigation, Family, International Arbitration, Internal Investigations, White Collar Criminal and Regulatory Defense, Fraud and Asset Recovery, Hedge and Mutual Funds, and Employment Litigation. With this growth, our approach has remained the same. We fiercely guard our clients’ interests and offer flexibility in what can be an overly rigid profession. We avoid traditional models and act for plaintiffs and defendants, institutions and individuals, with very low levels of conflict. We are trial lawyers. Our attorneys are experienced advocates at both the trial and appellate levels. We conduct criminal and civil trials and have argued scores of appeals in a number of federal and state Courts.

The Firm offers a wide range of alternative fee arrangements that work best for the unique situations in which clients find themselves. Mishcon New York also has excellent relationships with litigation funders both in the U.S. and U.K. and expertise in securing the best such arrangements for their clients.

Many of these influences stem from Mishcon de Reya London, which celebrated the 75th anniversary of its founding in 2012, the same year in which it was recognized by its peers as U.K. Law Firm of the Year not once, but twice. Both practices have a strong litigation heritage, representing a diverse portfolio of clients in more than 60 countries with more than 200 litigators across New York and London.

Press Contact
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R. Couri Hay Creative Public Relations
Phone: 212-580-0835

Mishcon de Reya LLP
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http://www.mishconnewyork.com

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