EA victorious in Dillinger lawsuit

EA has successfully defended its right to name in-game weapons after Depression-era gangster John Dillinger.

Presiding over the case in Indiana, judge Jane Magnus-Stinson said Dillinger's long association with Tommy Guns in popular culture made the name fair game for EA under the First Amendment, NWI reports.

The Dillinger family argued it has the right to control publicity of its famous progenitor, but EA used a similar, failed claim by Marilyn Monroe's family as a counter-example.

In the Godfather games, a suspiciously Tommy Gun-like weapon bears the name The Dillinger. EA had filed suit against the Dillinger family estate after the latter threatened litigation over use of its name, which it holds a copyright for.

Thanks, gamesradar.