Tecmo Sues Hackers in Violation of their Property

In federal court in Chicago against the members of an Internet message board dedicated to hacking some of the most popular videogames available, including Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive 3, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and Dead or Alive Ultimate, all available for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft.

The Complaint alleges that the defendants, including website administrators Mike Greiling from Eden Prairie, Minn., and Will Glynn from Davie, Fla., as well as a number of as yet unidentified individuals, are responsible for creating, hosting and contributing content to a forum created to foster and facilitate the knowing infringement of Tecmo’s proprietary software for its video game titles.

Tecmo has pursued and will continue to conduct a widespread investigation to find and identify all offenders in this case.

“We are known for being a technological leader in the video game industry, and we clearly support and respect the innovations which push the boundaries of gaming. However, we believe it is our duty to uphold the integrity of our work,” John Inada, General Manager for Tecmo, said. “Hacking of this kind will not be tolerated and we intend to take all necessary measures to protect our intellectual property.”

Vigorously protecting its intellectual property rights in the content it publishes, Tecmo charges defendants with, among other things, copyright infringement, circumventing copyright protection systems in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and passing off and unfair competition in violation of both federal copyright law and the laws of the State of Illinois. Tecmo seeks injunctive relief against defendants, as well as recovery of damages for infringement and willful infringement under the Copyright Act.

“On behalf of the game industry, the gamers and all future innovations in gaming, the protection of intellectual property is a serious issue that affects everyone in the game industry, and can no longer be ignored,” Inada said. “Ignoring the situation will ultimately hurt future gaming experiences for both casual and hardcore gamers, which is why Tecmo must take action to protect our intellectual property.”