Puzo estate sues over Godfather game

Heirs of Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather, are suing Paramount for allegedly cheating them out of shares of profits from a video game based on the best-selling novel that became a hit film, reports Harriet Ryan in The L.A. Times.

According to the suit, Paramount and Puzo, who died in 1999, agreed that he would receive a "significant share" of "audiovisual" products derived from his Mafia saga. Puzo's son and executor, Anthony, contends in the suit that "The Godfather" video game is covered by the deal because it includes characters from the films.

"You hear them. You see them. That's audiovisual to me," said the estate's lawyer, Bert Fields.