Facebook Owner Sued For $2bn Over Virtual Reality

Mark Zuckerberg is expected to appear in a Dallas court on Tuesday to defend his company over claims it stole virtual reality technology.

Zenimax Media, owner of renowned games studio id Software, is suing Facebook for $2bn (£1.6bn).

Zenimax argued its early innovations in VR were unlawfully copied when Oculus built its own headset, the Rift.

Oculus was bought by Facebook in 2014, and is seen as a major part of the firm’s strategy over the next 10 years.

The BBC understands Mr Zuckerberg will argue that Zenimax was slow to appreciate the potential of VR - and that it was Oculus’ own work that made it the valuable technology it is today.

"We're eager to present our case in court,” a spokesman for Oculus told the BBC.

"Oculus and its founders have invested a wealth of time and money in VR because we believe it can fundamentally transform the way people interact and communicate.

"We're disappointed that another company is using wasteful litigation to attempt to take credit for technology that it did not have the vision, expertise, or patience to build.”