Game Developers vs Piracy

Problem

With the development of technology, the term «pirates» has acquired a new meaning. At the turn of the century, the game industry  had been developing massively. Simultaneously with the advent of popular computer games, developers and distributors have faced an influx in  illegal use of intellectual property. The supply of counterfeit CDs and DVDs has dominated in the market for computer games.

We have chosen an ingenious solution. Instead of the traditional  method of asking enforcement agencies we have started to record violations  with the help of private detectives. This innovation marked the beginning of the “serial” protection of intellectual property in Russia. More than 1,000 trials  have been conducted on the sale of counterfeit games.

A number of legal structures have been formed and adapted in judicial practice, allowing right holders to combat piracy effectively. In the highest courts in  the country, positive answers have been given to such questions as:

• Can the right holder legally record violations, taking into account the state monopoly on police and search activities?
• Is a private detective’s report  without a photo / video attachment is an acceptable proof of the      violation of intellectual property rights?

Our activity has  changed the ratio of counterfeit and licensed good shares in the market in favor of the right holders. Along with the development of Internet technologies and the appearance of  game platforms the retail piracy market for computer games has all disappeared. In this regard, retail protection projects have lost their relevance and turned into online rights protection.

Our clients, in relation to physical game media,  were largely local and foreign companies such as Akella, Electronic Arts, Atari, Ubisoft and others.