Ubi Soft Claims Preliminary Victory Over Take-Two In Court Battle

At a preliminary High Court hearing in London, Take-Two agreed to pay 1,145,000 pounds to Red Storm, including reimbursement for some of Red Storm's legal costs incurred to date. The court also agreed to Red Storm's request to fast track the remainder of the case. To date, the court has ordered Take-Two to pay Red Storm 3,145,000 pounds. The trial concerns Take-Two's sales of Red Storm games prior to Red Storm's acquisition by Ubi Soft. Red Storm had granted Take-Two the right to distribute, until December 2000, Red Storm's games in Europe and some other non-U.S. countries. Red Storm is suing Take-Two for an approximately £6.3 million, saying Take-Two owes Red Storm this money for products made by Take-Two and for which Take-Two has not paid Red Storm. In July of 2001, Take-Two paid £1.75 million to Red Storm, and a further £250,000 was paid by Take-Two. The litigation over the payment of the outstanding balance will be decided in the full trial, currently scheduled for mid-July, 2002. The final claim could reach £7.5 million, including interest payments and legal fees.