X-Nico

2 unusual facts about Karate Champ


Data East USA, Inc. v. Epyx, Inc.

Data East's largest objection in court was that their 1984 arcade game Karate Champ was the true originator of the competitive fighting game genre, which predated the original Street Fighter by three years.

862 F.2d 204, 9 U.S.P.Q.2d (BNA) 1322 (9th Cir. 1988) is a court case in which Data East, a video game manufacturer, contended that Epyx, a competing video game manufacturer, licensed and distributed a video game, International Karate, that infringed on the copyright of a video game developed by Data East, Karate Champ.



see also