UK Game Developers Sue Illegal Downloaders

[Cavalier]

Topware Interactive have successfully (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7568642.stm) won a case against a filesharer for sharing a copy of their game, Dream Pinball 3D.

Following this, Topware and four other companies (Atari, Reality Pump, Techland & Codemasters) are taking it one stage further (http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/gadgets_and_gaming/article4569180.ece).

Five of the world’s top games developers will serve notice on 25,000 people across the UK, requiring each one to pay £300 immediately to settle out of court. Those who refuse risk being taken to court. The companies will target their initial legal actions on 500 people who ignore the letters.

[menage]

That Pinball Story is pretty weak. Sueing one user for more money they probably would have made with their product. i would get a fine for 300 bucks or so. Just to get the point across. But 16000 is effectively ruining someones life over a game. There are rapist getting away with less.

[Yeti]

It blows me away that the courts essentially hit people harder for copying a game than they do if you drink and drive and hit someone.

I honestly think that 16,000 fine is bullshit and hope that the dream pinball company folds.

[Katslover]

I like the "five of the biggest software companies" line. I believe I've only heard of Activision and Codemasters. I find it funny that Codemasters is suing over piracy, given that they were practically the kings of unlicensed games back in the NES days.

[lost]

Good. You are a certified muppet for fucking with piracy these days.

[Feltoar]

A source close to the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association said that most publishers would be reluctant to bring legal actions against their “core market” and would be likely to look for other ways to minimise losses due to piracy.
Thought that was interesting.

[Heretic Machine]

How about this one: Anyone asking for fines of that magnitude, over downloading a copy of software like Dream Pinball 3D, deserve to be hanged.

[captainstrombosis]

How about this one: Anyone asking for fines of that magnitude, over downloading a copy of software like Dream Pinball 3D, deserve to be hanged.

I can understand the 300 out of court, but the 16k for a pinball game... It just makes me weep for humanity.

[Rakael]

16k is a fucking joke.

[alienchild]

I wonder who they can justify the 16k...

[ElfShotTheFood]

The company originally wanted 300 pounds, but the woman decided to fight the charges instead. That's why she ended up owing 16K.

Don't feel sorry for her because she was stupid. ;)

[Narradisal]

Shes a complete moron for fighting it and ending up with a much larger debt (which to be fair she can probably get out of paying if she has any brains).

As people have commented above though, there have been some recent cases here for people paying a few grand for MANSLAUGHTER. So 16k for downloading a pinball game is a joke.

Pretty much sums up our shitty legal system though.

[Telefrog]

It was only a matter of time before software companies strated hitting these downloaders. Good for them, I say.

[Meusli]

If it helps save PC gaming then I am all for it.

[captainstrombosis]

If it helps save PC gaming then I am all for it.

Yeah, because all of those companies have been producing top quality games lately!

Want to save gaming? Make games worth buying.

[KrimsonFyre]

As people have commented above though, there have been some recent cases here for people paying a few grand for MANSLAUGHTER. So 16k for downloading a pinball game is a joke.

Sure for some cases, the penalties for manslaughter range much higher then that as well...*shrug*

The original request was 300, she fought the case and had to pay out 6000. The rest was to cover the legal fees, as you would expect.

From the article:
In the case heard at London's Patents County Court the game maker won damages of £6,086.56 plus costs of £10,000.

[bjornbarspingvinen]

Sue away, people seem to think it´s ok to do it. I even hear people at the videostore; "That movie seems good, let´s go home and download it" WTF?....

It´s no longer the nerds only doing it, it´s the average joe. Atleast in sweden, it´s absurd how everyone seems to think it´s perfectly fine to pirate everything...

Setting examples are always overkill in punishment...

[Feltoar]

Forgive me for missing it and being too lazy to find it. Where does it say she fought the £300 fine? I got the impression she copped it for being the one who shared it?

[Sl1pstream]

Yeah, because all of those companies have been producing top quality games lately!

Want to save gaming? Make games worth buying.

If the game wasn't worth it, why download it? "It's not very good" doesn't really help you when you just downloaded it without paying.

I'm not saying that it is a good game, but it's your own fault for downloading this.

The £ 300 sounds reasonable.

[jpublic]

Good for them. The best way to reduce piracy isn't DRM, it's to sue the ass of every idiot who downloads the game througha torrent.

The main piracy groups are too damn secure to ever be stopped. It's the casual idiots you need to go for.

[captainstrombosis]

If the game wasn't worth it, why download it? "It's not very good" doesn't really help you when you just downloaded it without paying.

I'm not saying that it is a good game, but it's your own fault for downloading this.

The £ 300 sounds reasonable.

Way to take my comment out of context. :rolleyes:

Read what I quoted. Apply my statement to that statement alone. I wasn't commenting on Piracy. I was commenting on the sentiment that slapping fines on pirates would somehow "Save PC gaming".

[Felonous]

Awesome! More idiots that torrent software illegally need to be brought to justice. People steal software because there isn't any risk vs the reward, this should make them think twice.

[Maybeme]

Yeah, whatever the actual fines are out of that total it's obviously not a big enough deterrent as piracy seems to continue to skyrocket unabated. The fact that stealing is wrong doesn't seem to be getting the job done.

[landshark42]

I wonder who they can justify the 16k...

The news reports fail to clearly detail how the damages were calculated. Journalists always seem to miss the details and nuance in reporting on legal issues. Anyway, it is almost certainly the case that the losing defendant that had a judgment of 16,000 pounds not only downloaded the game, but also shared it, as is common with file sharing services. This would make them liable for each copy that was in turn downloaded based on their sharing. It would be interesting to see how they determined that, but it is pretty easy to see how that could add up quickly. Plus, as someone already mentioned a sizable portion of the damages were legal fees. Why anyone would contest this in court is beyond me, as it is pretty much a slam dunk for the copyright holders.

[Lutheran]

I hope that game was worth it though lets face it thats probably one item of many this person has downloaded in their lifetime...should have just forked over the 300 and been done with it.

[Narradisal]

Sure for some cases, the penalties for manslaughter range much higher then that as well...*shrug*

The original request was 300, she fought the case and had to pay out 6000. The rest was to cover the legal fees, as you would expect.

From the article:

Ok, putting some context in. So she counter a £300 cost and ended up paying 200% more than that? Thats reasonable huh? The game of which probably cost £60 at the most. I'll give you the legal cost, but seriously, £6000 is a HUGE mark up from the game. Bullshit I say.

Oh and

The parents of a teenager killed by a speeding cyclist called for a change in the law after he walked away from court with just a £2,200 fine.

And that was from a guy that knowing run her down, made no attempt to even stop or avoid the girl. Yea, he paid a MUCH higher price for manslaughter. The penalities may range higher, but is it too much to ask for them to be sutable FOR THE CRIME?

[Narradisal]

Oh and I am complete against piracy, but people who fly the flag of the whole "paying for all the seeding they did" crap, really? They seem to calculate this in the weirdest ways like £300 a copy x number of seeds = PROFIT!

I'm not saying these people should pay, but a reasonable sum for the crime committed.

[Isamura]

I can't believe any of you are applauding this outcome, even if you are game developers. Even £300 sounds steep considering this is a crime where nobody was hurt or their livelihoods affected. I doubt anyone of those people would have actually paid full price that game. I won't support corporations whose attack's will severly impact an individuals life, where the reverse isn't equal.

[Meusli]

Way to take my comment out of context. :rolleyes:

Read what I quoted. Apply my statement to that statement alone. I wasn't commenting on Piracy. I was commenting on the sentiment that slapping fines on pirates would somehow "Save PC gaming".

We hear constantly how developers are not making any money, almost every month infact. How many people do you think would download illegal files if they new that the companies were pro-active in suing those responsible.
Now I am not saying it will kill illegal downloading but it might make the average person stop doing that. Plus if its a rubbish game it will not sell well and the developer will not be able to turn around and say "look everyone is copying it, that's why it made no money"

[Morangie]

Good for them. The best way to reduce piracy isn't DRM, it's to sue the ass of every idiot who downloads the game througha torrent.

The main piracy groups are too damn secure to ever be stopped. It's the casual idiots you need to go for.
Thats a great plan! Sue all the casual downloaders and give them big fines, then they'll definitely rush to the shops to buy things. The only flaw is after they've been sued they no longer have any money.

To seriously stop piracy companies need to go after the main pirate groups, the people who get new releases cracked and out there. This would be very effective but very expensive so it'll never happen. Better to sue the casual downloader. It worked for the RIAA with music downloads, right? Right?