Back in June, Zynga sued Brazilian gaming company Vostu for allegedly copying several of its games. But Zynga, it turns out, has been on the other side of that same conflict many times in the past—and as the company prepares for an upcoming IPO, it’s facing yet another lawsuit.
Agincourt Gaming, a Texas-based gaming company, has sued Zynga for patent infringement, Inc. reports. Agincourt is seeking unspecified monetary damages and has requested a permanent injunction against Zynga that threatens to shut down its popular Facebook games.
Agincourt says it owns “foundational patents that claim priority back to 1996,” including concepts like a rewards system that allows users to earn credits and redeem them for prizes—one of the most significant (and lucrative) features of Zynga’s games.
According to the lawsuit, the games that violate Agincourt's patents include FarmVille, CityVille, FrontierVille, FishVille, PetVille, YoVille, Zynga Poker, Empires & Allies, Mafia Wars, Treasure Isle, CafeWorld, and Vampire Wars.
