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Posts from — March 2005
In-Game Virtual Property ‘Theft’ Lead to Fatal Attack
Categories: Criminal Prosecutions • Virtual Property Cases
Shanghai gamer Qiu Chengwei killed player Zhu Caoyuan when he discovered he had sold a “dragon sabre” he had been loaned, while playing the online game Legends of Mir 3. Before the attack Mr Chengwei told police about the theft who said the weapon was not real property and took no action.
Sources: BBC | MSNBC | ABC News | Guardian Unlimited | Sydney Morning Herald | RPGamer | The Register | Taipei Times
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Del.icio.us UK Government Plans Bigger Warnings For Games
Categories: Product Packaging • Retail Sales
The British government has announced that, after consultation with industry representatives, video games are to carry larger age symbols and descriptions of their content in “a bid to help parents understand what their children are playing”.
Source: Gamasutra
Sony Appeals Immersion Suit, Wins Stay on Injunction
Categories: Controller Cases • Injunctions • Patent Cases
Text of Immersion Patent
Following the January decision against Sony in Immersion Corp’s lawsuit, which alleged that Sony had violated its patents on force-feedback mechanisms with the Dual Shock controller, Sony is appealing the decision to the Federal court.
Sony Plans New Legal Challenge to Mod Chips in Australia
Categories: Modding Cases • New Laws • Region Coding Cases
Changes to copyright laws in Australia to implement its free trade agreement with the United States have opened the door for a fresh legal challenge to mod chips, according to Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, which has instructed its lawyers to prepare a new case against the devices.
Source: GameIndustry.biz
Blizzard Bans 1,000 World of Warcraft Accounts Over Gold Farming
Categories: Gold Farming • Player Bans
Blizzard has taken action against over 1,000 World of Warcraft accounts, instituting permanent bans for violating the game’s terms of service.
Sources: Gamasutra | GameIndustry.biz
New Ontario Video Game Retail Sales Law
Categories: Child Sale Restrictions • Game Ratings • New Laws • Retail Sales • Violent Game Laws
On March 7, 2005, the Ontario Film Review Board adopted the ESRB classifications. As a result it is now an offence to sell, rent or publicly exhibit video and computer games classified as “Mature” or “Adults Only” to persons apparently under the age of 18 years. If convicted, individuals may face up to $25,000 in fines or imprisonment for a term of not more than one year or both. Corporations are liable for fines up to $100,000.
Sources: GamePolitics.com | Fradical.com | Ontario Film Review Board Press Release
Related Posts:
- No Complaints About Manitoba’s Video Game Law (September 19, 2005)
- Manitoba to Restrict Video Game Rentals to Minors (May 9, 2005)
- New Ontario Video Game Retail Sales Law (March 14, 2005)
Activision, Viacom Settle Star Trek License Lawsuit
Categories: Licensed Game Cases • Settlements
Activision and licensor Viacom jointly announcing that they have reached an agreement regarding the future of the Star Trek video game license. The terms of the settlement were kept confidential but both parties say they intend to work together on future projects.
[Jan 25, 2006 Update: They didn't! They went their separate ways when Bethesda acquired the Star Trek License.]
Sources: Gamasutra | Variety | GameIndustry.biz | PR Newswire | GameSpot | GameDaily | GamingReport | IGN | MSNBC
Related Posts:
Xfire Countersues Yahoo!
Categories: Cease & Desist • Unfair Business Practice Casses
Xfire countersues Yahoo! claiming unfair business practices. Xfire alleges unfair business practices, complains that Yahoo! did not provide them with a cease and desist letter before suing, claims it made good faith attempts to address Yahoo!’s concerns and offered to disclose its software code to Yahoo! or to mediate the dispute with a neutral third party.
Sources: CNet | USA Today | Channel Register | Out-Law.com | XFire’s Press-release re: CounterSuit | Mar 23 GameDaily Biz Follow-up Story
Related Posts:
- Yahoo!, Xfire Settle Lawsuit (February 9, 2006)
- Xfire, Yahoo! Near Terms of Patent Dispute Settlement (November 23, 2005)
- Xfire Countersues Yahoo! (March 11, 2005)
- Yahoo! Sues Xfire for Patent Infringement (February 4, 2005)
Marvel v. NCSoft: Judge Dismisses Trademark Case
Categories: Character License Cases • Decisions • Trademark Cases
U.S. District court Judge dismisses claims that NC Soft’s character creation tool infringes Marvel’s trademarks. Finds that allegedly infringing works submitted as evidence was “false and sham” as they were created by Marvel itself, not NCSoft users.
Sources: GameLaw.org | GameIndustry.biz | Prodigious Gaming
Electronic Arts To Institute Limited Overtime Policy
Categories: Employment Law Cases
A second Electronic Arts employee has filed a class-action lawsuit seeking overtime from the company, similar to suits filed against the company last year and against Vivendi Universal Games. The suit is also part of a general trend of Silicon Valley workers demanding proper recognition for overtime work.
Source: Gamasutra
Activision (Canulti):
Activision (Erimez):
EA (Lender Hasty): EA Programmers
- EA Settles Leander Hasty Class Action Labor Lawsuit - Tam Su Suit Still Pending (April 26, 2006)
- “EA Spouse” Revealed to be Erin Hoffman (April 26, 2006)
- Electronic Arts to Institute Limited Overtime Policy (March 10, 2005)
- EA Hit by Second Employee (Leander Hasty) Lawsuit (February 21, 2005)
- The “EA Spouse” Post that Started it All (November 10, 2004)
EA (Tam Su):
- EA Faces a Third Employment-Related Class-Action Suit in Florida (Tam Su) (October 11, 2005)
EA (Kirschenbaum): EA animators, texture artists, and modelers
- EA Settles Kirschenbaum Labor Dispute Lawsuit - Hasty Suit Still Pending (October 5, 2005)
- Electronic Arts Faces (Kirschenbaum) Overtime Lawsuit (November 12, 2004)
- The “EA Spouse” Post that Started it All (November 10, 2004)
- Sony Computer Entertainment Sued by its Animators and Graphic Artists. (February 11, 2005) - This case is still pending as far as I know.
Peter Jackson Sues New Line over Video Game Licensing
Categories: Licensed Game Cases • Royalty Disputes
Jackson makes 19 allegations, among them that New Line improperly deducted costs relating to home video, used the wrong royalty rate to compute DVD sales, charged too much for subdistribution, did not pay for use of the film’s script and a song lyric written by Ms Walsh in an accompanying video game and incorrectly valued their cut from merchandise sales.
Sources: Gamasutra | Times Online | New York Times | EuroGamer | UGO | Joystiq | BBC | Video Business
ESRB Adds E10+ To Game Ratings System
Categories: Game Ratings • Retail Sales
The Entertainment Software Ratings Board, an industry-run group designed to provide parents with clear information so that they can choose the most appropriate computer and video games, has added a new classifier to their ratings system. The E10+ rating will serve as a halfway point between the E (Everyone) and T (Teen) ratings.
Source: Gamasutra
AVG Patent ‘690 Explained
Categories: Patent Cases • Patents
Jim Charne Explains the Implications of AVG Patent Suit to IDGA Readers.
Sources: IGDA’s Ask Jim
