Tecmo Take Hackers To Court News
Chris Leyton
09/02/2005
Tecmo commence legal action against individual hackers dedicated to hacking its titles…
In a surprising announcement, Tecmo today announced that they have begun legal proceedings against members of an internet forum dedicated to hacking its titles, including the likes of Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive 3, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and Dead or Alive Ultimate.
"We are known for being a technological leader in the video game industry, and we clearly support and respect the innovations which push the boundaries of gaming. However, we believe it is our duty to uphold the integrity of our work," John Inada, General Manager for Tecmo, said. "Hacking of this kind will not be tolerated and we intend to take all necessary measures to protect our intellectual property."
The complaint alleges that the defendants are responsible for creating, hosting and contributing content to a forum created to foster and facilitate the knowing infringement of Tecmo's proprietary software.
Tecmo is believed to have conducted a widespread investigation to identify the offenders and is believed to be continuing this until they discover all of those involved in the case.
The lawsuit charges the defendants with, among other accusations, copyright infringement, circumventing copyright protection systems in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and passing off and unfair competition in violation of both federal copyright law and the laws of the State of Illinois. Tecmo seeks injunctive relief against defendants, as well as recovery of damages for infringement and wilful infringement under the Copyright Act.
"On behalf of the game industry, the gamers and all future innovations in gaming, the protection of intellectual property is a serious issue that affects everyone in the game industry, and can no longer be ignored," Inada said. "Ignoring the situation will ultimately hurt future gaming experiences for both casual and hardcore gamers, which is why Tecmo must take action to protect our intellectual property."
Itās not yet known whether the lawsuit has any reference to the infamous ānudieā patch released for Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, an action that prompted the threat of legal action by Tecmo back in April 2003.
Tecmo are no strangers to the courts however, successfully winning a similar case against a small Japanese software firm in September 2002, although cases against specific individuals are unusual.
Weāll have more information on the state of affairs soon.