Tag Archives: game piracy

EA’s John Riccitiello has told Kotaku that he sees game pirates as a way to sell more games to people, reasoning that pirates can “steal the disc, but they can’t steal the DLC”.

“The consumer seems to really like this idea that there is extra stuff,” said Riccitiello. “The consumer wants more, and when you give them more or sell them more it seems to be extremely well received. There’s a sizable pirate market and a sizable second sale market and we want to try to generate revenue in that marketplace.

“I don’t think anybody should pirate anything. I believe in the artistry of the people who build [the games industry.] I profoundly believe that, and when you steal from us, you steal from them. Having said that, there’s a lot of people who do.”

Instead of “demonizing” consumers for pirating like the music industry does, he feels EA has an “obligation” to create games and communities that make it “increasingly less likely that people will pirate because there is so much value on the other side of the door.”

Riccitiello hopes some pirates will eventually purchase the game that was pirated or at the very least the DLC associated with it.

More through the link.

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk has placed Canada on the Priority Watch List for piracy alongside Algeria, Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, and Venezuela.

This is the first time Canada has been put on such a list by the US government, and after complaining to the country for some time now over it’s need for copyright reform, it has now been “listed”.

The ESA seems pleased, as the game lobbyist  has been pushing Canada’s parliament to outlaw mod chips and adopt some sort of Digital Millenium Copyright Act for quite some time.

“Putting Canada on the ‘Priority Watch List’ is a signal of the Obama Administration’s commitment to strengthening global intellectual property protection, and its intent to address this issue firmly with the Canadian government,” said ESA’s Michael Gallagher.

“Canada’s weak laws and enforcement practices foster game piracy in the Canadian market and pave the way for unlawful imports into the U.S.”

To counteract piracy in Canada, the USTR suggests it:

• Enact legislation outlawing game circumvention devices, such as “mod chips” and “game copiers,” in line with Canada’s international treaty obligations
• Create adequate legal incentives for internet service providers (ISPs) to work with copyright owners in combating online piracy
• Provide Customs officials with adequate authority to make ex officio seizures of counterfeit and pirate product at the border
• Provide adequate resources to anti-piracy enforcement efforts and make prosecution of intellectual property crimes a high priority.

More over on GamePolitics.

The ESA has filed a special report with the US trade representative outlining how “rife” piracy is in Western Europe.

According to the report, during December 2008 thirteen different titles were downloaded 6.4 million times — two titles accounted for 4.7 million of those downloads

“Piracy is the single greatest threat to the innovation, artistic commitment and technological advancements enjoyed by millions of consumers worldwide,” said ESA bossman Michael Gallagher.

“Piracy is a job-killer that the world economy cannot afford in these difficult economic times.

“Countries that skirt obligations to combat piracy need to understand the unacceptable damage they are facilitating —and those countries that invest in protecting intellectual property rights and ensure that piracy is not tolerated at any level should be lauded.”

Filed by the International Intellectual Property Alliance, the report lists copyright and piracy issues that have occurred in 48 foreign countries.

It is suggested that 40 of these countries be put on a “USTR Watch List” with Italy, Spain, France Germany and Poland being the biggest offenders.