Richard Garriott Seeks to Reclaim Ultima Copyright from EA in 2027

Ultima creator Richard Garriott is seeking to reclaim the series’ copyright from Electronic Arts, according to a report by Wccftech. Garriott discussed the effort in a conversation with Jesse Petrilla; the full interview has not yet been released.

Garriott sold his studio, Origin Systems, to Electronic Arts in 1992. The report says he is relying on Section 203 of the United States Copyright Act, a provision it describes as allowing creators to reclaim copyrights. The process is expected to take effect in 2027, more than three decades after the sale.

In a clip shared by Petrilla, Garriott says: “I sold Origin to Electronic Arts in 1992. And there’s a really weird United States copyright law that says if you were […]” The excerpt ends before he explains the law’s conditions, so the available clip does not provide further details about his claim.