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Category — Tortious Interference
RollerCoaster Tycoon Case to Proceed to U.K. High Court
Categories: Misc. Cases • Publisher/Developer Cases • Royalty Disputes • Tortious Interference
Atari was sued by RollerCoaster Tycoon developer Chris Sawyer in November 2005 alleging unpaid royalties.
Atari counterclaimed Sawyer alleging he induced game developer Frontier to breach its contract with Atari in creating a demo based on the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise.
Apparently the UK’s law on inducement to breach is in flux and the outcome of Atari’s counterclaim is contingent on two cases pending before the House of Lords. Nonetheless Judge Lord Justice Chadwick is permitting the RollerCoaster Tycoon case to proceed to trial, but subject to the outcome of the other two cases.
Sources: GameIndustry.biz
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Del.icio.us Blizzard/Vivendi Countersue WowGlider ‘bot Creator
Categories: Antitrust/Competition Cases • Bots • Cheating • Copyright Cases • DMCA-TPM Cases • Gold Farming • Hacking • Tortious Interference • Trademark Cases • Unfair Business Practice Casses
Case Management Summary (March 27, 2007)
Text of Blizzard’s/Vivendi’s Answer & Counterclaim (Feb 16, 2007)
Text of MDY’s (Donnelly’s) Complaint (Oct 25, 2006)
Michael Donnelly created a ‘bot’ program called WowGlider (since renamed to simply “Glider” in response to Blizzard’s trademark complaints) that allows players of the wildly popular World of Warcraft (“WOW”) MMORPG to automate their game play and keep their character “playing” 24/7.
Using this bot the player can continue to level up and harvest gold 24/7 without actually having to play the game – an activity widely considered to be cheating. The use of such “bots” circumvent Blizzard’s security/anti-cheating measures and are prohibited by WOW’s EULA and terms of use.
In the fall of 2006 Blizzard (and its parent Vivendi) demanded Donnelly cease selling the bot. In response, On October 25, 2006 Donnelly’s company MDY filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court of Arizona seeking a Declaratory Judgment that it is not infringing any rights, copyright or otherwise owned by Blizzard and Vivendi.
