Atari and Codemasters join video game piracy legal fight – £300 fines on the way to 25,000 game-sharers
It would appear that yesterday’s shaming of poor Isabella Barwinska was no one-off – some of the largest players in gaming are joining up to (try to) eliminate online piracy.
Atari and Codemasters, who make half the stuff you’ve played during your lifetime, have joined Topware and another couple of companies in targeting P2P-using game pirates, and will, according to The Times, start sending out automatic £300 fines to a select sample of 25,000 people they’ve caught illegally sharing copyrighted games.
The shocking facts are this – Pinball Dreams 3D sold 800 copies during its first two weeks on sale, but was downloaded 12,000 times. Codemasters’ Operation Flashpoint was downloaded 691,000 times in one week. We’re all for getting stuff for free off the internet, but those figures are… astonishing. Enough to make you side with The Man for once. And close BitLord.
(Via The Times)
Related posts: Woman fined £16k for game piracy | UK ISPs doing their bit
4 comments
Being poor isn’t an excuse for stealing, though, Kev. I tried using that one when a Woolworths security guard caught me with my trousers full of Mars bars.
Although that was 1986. The laws may have changed since.
I hope she does not pay this. £16K is just a joke. What can they do if no pay – send her to prison, put her two kids in care! Crazy. These people are acting like bastards. Does the Judge not know she has no money?
Kev.
Really? I’ll download it and have a look…
Judging by the reviews, Pinball Dreams 3D was lucky to sell 800 copies, period.
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