Activision Goes After Individual Game Pirates

brunascle writes "Activision has begun suing individual pirates of console games. Edge Online is reporting that they are going after a New York resident for allegedly copying Call of Duty 3 for the Xbox 360 and other games, seeking $30,000 to $150,000 in damages for each infringement. GamePolitics has also uncovered six other lawsuits with settlements between $1,000 and $100,000, in five of which the defendant was unrepresented." Activision's lawyers specifically told GamePolitics that the lawsuit wasn't targeting file-sharers, so they probably mean that the alleged pirate was reproducing and distributing physical copies of the game. The court complaint is available here (PDF).

Comments

Re:Good

[Anonymous Coward]

I completely agree. In my view, pirating a game and not selling it is OK unless you could afford it (I buy games I *really* like), but selling someone else's work is unacceptable. I was once offered money to *ahem* acquire software for someone - I flat out turned down the money, but got them the goods.

Finally some common sense.

[DragonTHC]

Thank you Activision. I've bought a hell of a lot of your games. So, I'm a lifelong customer.
The guy who ripped those games, cracked them, and uploaded them infringed your copyrights. I'm glad you're suing him. Because if no one uploads your copyrighted materials, then obviously no one can download them. This actually makes sense. I'm not saying that downloading is wrong, it isn't. But I am saying that uploading is wrong and illegal. I'm glad you're suing the guy responsible.

The RIAAfia and the MPAAfia could learn a lot from you. You already know the source of piracy lies mostly in your supply chain. There are the few occasional pirates who rip, crack, and upload your products after retail, but that number is staggeringly small. Instead of launching a campaign against the people who actually buy your products, you're just suing the individuals responsible for infringement. This makes sense and can bring the most return. There is no risk of backlash from your customers. And you send the appropriate message, which in this case, is don't upload our games.