Riot Games and Moonton Games Reach Settlement in IP Dispute

Moonton Games and Riot Games have come to a mutual agreement, putting an end to their prolonged intellectual property rights dispute. As part of the agreement, Riot Games has withdrawn its pending lawsuits. This development marks the culmination of a years-long legal battle between the two companies, sparked by allegations of copyright infringement. The dispute began in 2017 when Riot Games filed a lawsuit against Moonton, accusing the Shanghai-based developer of willfully and knowingly infringing on its intellectual property rights. The lawsuit specifically targeted three Moonton titles: Magic Rush: Heroes, Legends: 5v5 MOBA, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Although the case was initially dismissed due to jurisdictional concerns - with the court suggesting that the matter would be better resolved in China, given Riot's affiliation with Tencent and Moonton's connection to ByteDance - Riot Games pursued further action. In May 2022, a new lawsuit was filed, alleging that Mobile Legends: Bang Bang had repeatedly copied elements from League of Legends: Wild Rift. However, this attempt was also thwarted when a California court blocked and dismissed the lawsuit in November 2022.