Sony's preliminary injunction request against Tencent's alleged Horizon knockoff, Light of Motiramhas been delayed to 2026, with a new date proposed for January but not yet approved by the presiding court. The postponement comes as Tencent cites Mickey Mouse in an attempt to claim that it did not infringe on one of Sony's Horizon trademarks.
Sony launched a federal lawsuit against Tencent over Light of Motiram in July 2025, and claimed that the upcoming game is a Horizon knockoff that violates both its copyright and trademarks. Three months later, the Japanese gaming giant filed a preliminary injunction to block Tencent from using certain marketing materials and to force a redesign of the game's protagonist. Sony requested a date for the preliminary injunction of November 20.
Light of Motiram PI Hearing pushed back to 2026
Tencent and Sony have now agreed to postpone the hearing until 2026, proposing a new date of January 15. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley is expected to rule on the request in the coming weeks, subject to availability. The parties cited two reasons for the delay: first, Tencent requested more time to respond to the preliminary injunction request against Light of Motiram; second, Sony's lead counsel — Annette Hurst of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe — is unavailable on the original date, as she is scheduled to represent Microsoft in a hearing related to a recent AI copyright lawsuit filed by The New York Times Company.
Tencent cites Mickey Mouse while questioning Horizon Protagonist's brand status
Separately, Tencent has filed a response letter in support of its September 2025 motion to dismiss Sony's Light of Motiram trial. Among other things, the report on 29 October questions whether Horizon protagonist Aloy serves as a trademark at all, claiming that Sony has not identified a single, consistently defined version of her image that serves as a source identifier outside of the games. Tencent quotes Disney's multiple Mickey Mouse registrations as an example of how character trademarks apply to specific iterations, not general rights covering every depiction.
Tencent claims that Horizons Aloy is a game character, not a brand
Tencent cites these examples to argue that character brands hinge on specific, consistently identified iterations. It uses it to further argue that Sony hasn't attached a single, protectable Aloy image that functions as a trademark outside of the game. The brief emphasizes that generalized descriptions such as “clothing, accessories, and facial markings” (or an undefined “silhouette”) are too vague to delineate a single mark, and that character status in a game does not in itself establish trademark use.
Tencent has previously changed some Light of Motiram promotional material in light of Sony's Horizon infringement lawsuit. Judge Corley is expected to rule on Tencent's motion to dismiss and the rescheduling of Sony's preliminary injunction hearing before the end of 2025.
Source: Games Fray
