Epic settles leak case against former Fortnite contractor

Epic Games has settled a lawsuit against a former contractor accused of leaking confidential information about Fortnite collaborations that had not yet been announced, GamesIndustry.biz reports.

The leaked material covered tie-ins with outside properties including Minecraft, Ben 10 and Game of Thrones, all of which were unannounced at the time. Under a settlement reached with Epic's lawyers, Hayden Cohen has agreed to terms prohibiting them from possessing, accessing, using or disclosing any of Epic's confidential or trade secret information, including passing it to a third party.

The settlement is a proposed one and has yet to be approved by a judge. As reported by Game File, it does not mention compensation or damages, even though Epic's original suit had sought damages covering what it described as actual loss and unjust enrichment. Epic has asked the court to approve a stipulated injunction.

Munoz added that the company had asked the court to approve the injunction to ensure the contractor cannot publish or share Epic's confidential information again.

Part of a wider pattern

The case is the latest instance of a games company taking a prolific leaker to court rather than handling the matter privately. GamesIndustry.biz notes that Tencent, Nintendo and Microsoft have all pursued similar legal action in recent years.

Fortnite's crossover schedule is among the most closely watched release calendars in the industry, and unannounced partnerships are negotiated under the confidentiality terms of the rights holders involved rather than Epic alone. That makes an early leak a contractual problem for the partner as much as a marketing one for Epic, which is the interest the company's filing describes protecting.

Neither Epic nor Cohen has commented publicly on the terms beyond the statements given to Game File, and the injunction remains subject to the court's approval.