News

**Richard Eldritch**

Interesting this, they claim to be able to ID 100% of downloaders via a Top Secret "company"

CD Projekt RED have sent legal notices demanding money from thousands of alleged pirates in Germany, with a threat of court action for anyone refusing to pay.

When The Witcher 2 was released earlier this year, its developers CD Projekt RED offered the game DRM-free via sister-company GOG.com. It was a smart move, and including retail copies with DRM included, The Witcher 2 sold over a million copies worldwide. When the DRM free version was announced, the other part of the story was that CDP RED would monitor torrent sites and pursue the pirates. TorrentFreak reported that they’re now doing exactly that, using the same deeply unpopular tactic used in the past by music companies and games publishers.

We spoke to CD Projekt RED to find out why they’ve decided to pursue pirates in this way, and why they think they’ve found a way to successfully identify pirates with 100% accuracy and “are not worried about tracking the wrong people.”

This method of pursuing alleged pirates became famous in 2008 after British law firm Davenport Lyons used the tactic on behalf of a number of clients, including Atari, the North American publishers of The Witcher 2. The problem is that the practice traditionally relies on an alleged pirates IP address, which are a poor way to track an individual person due to being dynamic, easily masked, and easily shared amongst multiple people over unsecured wifi, shared houses or public spaces.

CDP RED feel they’ve found a way, using a method developed by an external company.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/12/15/the-wi...thousands/

**Bagatell** · **Bagatell** user Variable User ID: 9614 12-16-2011 12:07 PM **Posts: 1,700**

Quote:Coming to America: UK Gaming BitTorrent Lawsuits Arrive on US Shores

Thanks to Anonymous, social upheaval and incompetent web hosting, P2P litigation in the United Kingdom is on the defensive. The most notorious of litigators, ACS:Law and Davenport Lyons, operated for years in the UK, attempting to withdraw hundreds and even thousands of pounds from alleged file-sharers. This method, known as copyright trolling, eventually caught up to ACS:Law, whose operation was shuttered and stomped offline. But the beat goes on...

http://www.slyck.com/story2214_Coming_to..._US_Shores

**Richard Eldritch**

Bagatell Wrote:

Quote:Coming to America: UK Gaming BitTorrent Lawsuits Arrive on US Shores

Thanks to Anonymous, social upheaval and incompetent web hosting, P2P litigation in the United Kingdom is on the defensive. The most notorious of litigators, ACS:Law and Davenport Lyons, operated for years in the UK, attempting to withdraw hundreds and even thousands of pounds from alleged file-sharers. This method, known as copyright trolling, eventually caught up to ACS:Law, whose operation was shuttered and stomped offline. But the beat goes on...

http://www.slyck.com/story2214_Coming_to..._US_Shores

cheers man,interesting.

**blind prophet**

Richard if they had to bring each of the defendants to trial or claims court, would that not cost more than the price of the product pirated?

**Richard Eldritch**

blind prophet Wrote:

Richard if they had to bring each of the defendants to trial or claims court, would that not cost more than the price of the product pirated?

I would have thought so? Even if they were awarded costs. However in the long term, It could save them money if casual pirates are detered.

**Arch Phoenix**

Richard Eldritch Wrote:

blind prophet Wrote:
Richard if they had to bring each of the defendants to trial or claims court, would that not cost more than the price of the product pirated?

I would have thought so? Even if they were awarded costs. However in the long term, It could save them money if casual pirates are detered.

As if anyone pirates the witcher and its shitty engine!

**Bagatell** · **Bagatell** user Variable User ID: 9614 12-16-2011 12:23 PM **Posts: 1,700**

Quote: Conspiracy to infringe a copyright carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Restitution is mandatory.

the prison/media complex? Anon

**Richard Eldritch**

Bagatell Wrote:

Quote: Conspiracy to infringe a copyright carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Restitution is mandatory.

the prison/media complex?

**Wicman**

don't steal movies and you don't have to wory lol

**Mustis**

I bought this game..I can tell it is worthy of every penny :)

**616** lop guest User ID: 68168 12-16-2011 03:22 PM

As far as open wifi is concerned, I believe they passed laws in the west saying that the IP owner is responsible for all unsecured connections. Is this also a law in Germany? And if this is true.. there are going to be a lot of people paying for a game someone else is playing.

**Dwel**

Richard Eldritch Wrote:

[quote='blind prophet' pid='2438909' dateline='1324030349']
However in the long term, It could save them money if casual pirates are detered.

How do you 'save' money? deterring pirates?

mega company ceo wakes up on friday having previously sold 1,000 copies of his game, he feels good.

mega company ceo wakes up on Saturday having previously sold 1,000 copies of his game, he feels good; only now 400 more people are going to be playing it. How is he hurt? what money did he lose? how much did this cost him?

Most games that are pirated are games that they either could not afford or would not have bought. They end up selling the failed pieces of shit in the bargain bin after six months anyway, and that only covers the publishers (printing) cost, barely.

I buy games on Cheer

Steam

, so i do not give a shit.

**goldenfleeced**

Richard Eldritch Wrote:

Bagatell Wrote:
Quote:Coming to America: UK Gaming BitTorrent Lawsuits Arrive on US Shores

Thanks to Anonymous, social upheaval and incompetent web hosting, P2P litigation in the United Kingdom is on the defensive. The most notorious of litigators, ACS:Law and Davenport Lyons, operated for years in the UK, attempting to withdraw hundreds and even thousands of pounds from alleged file-sharers. This method, known as copyright trolling, eventually caught up to ACS:Law, whose operation was shuttered and stomped offline. But the beat goes on...

http://www.slyck.com/story2214_Coming_to..._US_Shores

cheers man,interesting.

So, the moral of this story is... that game addictions going to be waaaay more expensive than you ever thought they would, eh?

They probably should have checked with some other 'addicts' before heading down that path, don't you think...?

Game on... :)

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 66126 12-16-2011 04:54 PM

why do you guys want to pay for your own brainwashing ?,