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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

NOTE 18 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

Litigation

 

The Company is subject to claims and contingencies related to lawsuits and other matters arising out of the normal course of business. In addition, the Company may receive notifications alleging infringement of patent or other intellectual property rights. The Company has elected to expense legal costs associated with legal contingencies as incurred.

 

On December 1, 2021, the Company and Studio Wildcard sent a notice of claimed infringement (the “DCMA Takedown Notice”) to Valve Corporation, which operates the Steam platform, pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DCMA”). The DCMA Takedown Notice concerned a videogame titled Myth of Empires, which was developed by Suzhou Angela Online Game Technology Co., Ltd. (“Angela Game”) and published by Imperium Interactive Entertainment Limited (“Imperium”).

 

 

Snail Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

On December 9, 2021, Angela Game and Imperium sued the Company and Studio Wildcard in the United States District Court for the Central District of California (the “District Court”) in response to the DCMA Takedown Notice. The lawsuit sought a declaratory judgment on non-liability for copyright infringement and non-liability for trade secret misappropriation, as well as unspecified damages for alleged misrepresentations in the DCMA Takedown Notice. Angela Game and Imperium also filed an application for a temporary restraining order asking the court to order us and Studio Wildcard to rescind the DCMA Takedown Notice so that Steam could reinstate Myth of Empires for download. On December 20, 2021, the Company and Studio Wildcard filed an answer to the complaint, which included counterclaims against Angela Game and Imperium and a third-party complaint against Tencent seeking unspecified damages resulting from the alleged copyright infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets in connection with the ARK: Survival Evolved source code.

 

On September 8, 2023, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with Angela Game. The settlement agreement includes an upfront payment from Angela Game to the Company plus ongoing payments. The upfront payment was recorded as deferred revenue, with a portion of the payment included in “other income” and the remaining amount to be recognized upon the satisfaction of certain performance obligations and future revenue sharing.

 

On March 14, 2023, Bel Air Soto, LLC (“Plaintiff”) filed suit in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, against Snail Games USA Inc. and INDIEV, Inc. (“INDIEV”), an affiliate company that is owned by Mr. Hai Shi, the Company’s Founder, Chief Strategy Officer, and Chairman, for breach of contract and related claims arising out of a commercial lease for premises located in Los Angeles County. Plaintiff alleges that the defendants exercised an option to extend the lease and was harmed when defendants instead terminated the lease and vacated the premises. The complaint seeks damages in excess of $3 million. Snail Games USA Inc. disputes the allegations and the amount of damages. The Company has responded to the complaint with an answer and cross-complaint. The cross-complaint seeks return for the $130,000 security deposit. The landlord has answered and denied the allegations of the cross-complaint. The Company intends to vigorously defend against the claims asserted.

 

On April 21, 2023, Snail Games USA Inc. entered into an indemnity and reimbursement agreement with INDIEV, dated as of April 1, 2023, pursuant to which INDIEV agrees to assume all obligations and liabilities pursuant to the lease and indemnify and reimburse Snail Games USA Inc. for any amounts, damages, expenses, costs or other liability incurred by Snail Games USA Inc. arising under or pursuant to the lease or relating to the premises.

 

In October 2023, INDIEV has filed for bankruptcy and the Company does not expect to recover its costs from INDIEV. At this time, the Company is unable to quantify the magnitude of the potential loss should the plaintiffs’ lawsuit succeed and accordingly no accrual for loss has been recorded in the accompanying financial statements.

 

 

Snail Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements