Publisher petitions court following toy maker's one-sided decision to renew rights to make wrestling games for five more years.

For years, THQ, Jakks Pacific, and World Wrestling Entertainment have faced off in a Triple Threat match over the WWE vs. SmackDown franchise. WWE has sued the THQ-Jakks joint venture twice seeking to have its licensing agreement terminated, all while the game and toy companies have been locked in their own dispute over royalty rates on WWE-branded games.

With the current WWE game licensing deal set to expire on December 31, 2009, Jakks said today that it would be exercising its right to renew the contract to make the games for five more years, through December 31, 2014. As could be expected given the license's turbulent history, the move has sparked a new round of legal posturing. THQ has responded by filing a suit claiming that it had not yet decided whether it would renew the WWE license.