EA’s IP Losses may be the cause of 56 Delistings in June

I’m still feeling my way through the crazy world of copyright law and Intellectual Property rights that are a major cause of delistings. So I’m not entirely sure how to interpret this vague news from EA but seeing a $122 million loss demonstrates how much is at stake when licensing is involved.

“During the first quarter of fiscal 2015 (April – June), Electronic Arts terminated its right to utilize certain intellectual property that the Company had previously licensed and we incurred a loss of $122 million on the corresponding license commitment.”

With no further details in their recent earnings report I can only guess as to what IPs were involved, though the following news from Big Fish Games may offer some indication. On June 1st the digital game distributor will be removing a staggering 56 EA/PopCap titles from its storefront including franchises like Zuma, Peggle, Bejeweled and many more. It’s not clear if this is the end of a specific deal with Big Fish Games or if their removal is part of EA’s IP losses.

If the latter turns out to be true then these games will also be removed from Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and any other digital platforms they were published on. That would mark the end for some of the oldest Xbox 360 releases including Heavy Weapon, Astropop, Feeding Frenzy and others. Check out the full list after the cut and hold tight for a potential delisting D-Day in June.

To be Removed from Big Fish Games by June 1st, 2016: