Two weeks ago, Capcom tried some pre-emptive measures aimed at heading off an impending lawsuit from The MKR Group, who hold the rights to George Romero's Dawn of the Dead film. Didn't work. MKR have since sued Capcom, claiming that Dead Rising is essentially an unlicensed adaptation of Romero's masterpiece:

Both works are dark comedies. In both, the recreational activities of the zombies and absurdly grotesque 'kill scenes' provide unexpected comedic relief.

Both works provided thoughtful social commentary on the 'mall culture' zeitgeist, in addition to serving up a sizable portion of sensationalistic violence.

You hear that, budding game and film makers of the world? You can't pay homage to a classic anymore. It infringes on copyrights.
Producer, game firm in rights battle over zombies [Reuters]