Publisher have been ordered to return the source code for Scratch: The Ultimate DJ to Genius, in the wake of a that also ruled that the firm had done nothing wrong in their purchase of Scratch developer 7 Studios.

"It is actually very straightforward. They hired you. They have terminated the deal. Their agreement requires return of materials. No matter how you slice this banana, they are entitled to the work product back. I don't know why your client would want to continue working on a project for which they have been terminated," the judge in the case told Activision's lawyers, according to Gamespot.

He concluded, irritably: "Show me anywhere where you can refuse to turn over source code because it incorporates your pre-existing tools and technology. They can use it for any purpose. It is theirs. It belongs to them. They paid 6 million USD for it. I'm done."

Genius and Numark, the backers of Scratch, believe Activision and 7 Studios conspired to the release of Scratch, when the developer was acquired by Activision. This may not be the last we hear of this.

By Luke Guttridge