Author John Beiswenger has sued Ubisoft and Gametrailers for copyright infringement, alleging that the storyline of the Assassin's Creed series was ripped off from his self-published 2002 novel, Link. The first Creed game came out in 2007.

In the complaint (pdf), filed with a U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania this week, Beiswenger says his novel was the source for plot points like the ability to relive historical events through the eyes of an ancestor.

The book apparently also includes references to assassins and assassinations, and the author's court filing lists dozens of alleged similarities between the two stories.

Beiswenger is seeking damages of up to $5.25 million. Ubisoft has not yet commented.

[gamasutra.]

Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit filed by a customer who feels that Siri, the iPhone 4S's voice-controlled digital assistant, doesn't live up to the promises of the company's commercials.

Frank M. Fazio, a New York resident and unhappy iPhone 4S owner, has filed his complaint of false advertising with the U.S. District Court in San Jose, calling the ads "fundamentally and designedly false and misleading."

His complaint says ads showing people using Siri to "make appointments, find restaurants, and even learn the guitar chords to classic rock songs or how to tie a tie" are nothing like "the actual operating results and performance of Siri."

He also alleges that the iPhone 4S without Siri is just a more expensive iPhone 4, although it has a faster processor, improved antenna and better camera than its predecessor.

Apple has yet to comment on the suit.

[mashable]

A Southampton, England pub called The Hobbit is under threat by producer Saul Zaentz, who owns the worldwide film, stage and merchandising rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit.

The owners of the pub, which been called "The Hobbit" for more than 20 years, say that the Saul Zaentz Company has given them until the end of May to change the name of the business or face a lawsuit.

They say their website, artwork, font and even drink menu -- with libations named after Lord of the Rings characters -- may also have to go.

The regulars describe the battle as "hobbits vs. orcs," and a Facebook group dedicated to saving the pub now has 7,500 members.

The Hobbit pub isn't the first Tolkien-themed establishment the Zaentz Company has confronted. They've also gone after a café called The Hungry Hobbit, located near Tolkien's childhood home in Birmingham.

[torrentfreak]

Yahoo is suing Facebook over the social networking site's use of ten patents on common features of the social web.

At issue are features including personalized advertising, friend recommendations, messaging and music apps, and customized news feeds.

Yahoo's complaint alleges that Facebook's massive market share is a result of this group of patents, and that Facebook has repeatedly refused to pay licensing fees to use the patented features. Not only is Yahoo seeking unpaid royalties, they're also looking for triple damages (plus interest) and asking the court to stop Facebook from using the patents until they pay up.

Yahoo partnered up with Facebook back in 2010, integrating Facebook features into its sites, but the relationship between the companies seems to have changed under recently-appointed CEO Scott Thompson.

The company has been in decline, losing key board members like chairman Roy Bostock and co-founder Jerry Yang, and it looks like patent trolling is going to be part of Thompson's rebuilding strategy.

[wired]