Sony has lost a major legal battle against Datel, a company known for producing popular video game cheats. The legal fight between Sony and Datel, specifically over cheats for the PSP game “MotorStorm Arctic Edge”, has been ongoing for more than a decade. Yesterday, the European Court of Justice ruled in favor of Datel, marking a significant victory for the cheat manufacturer.
The Origins of the Lawsuit
The lawsuit began in 2009 when Datel introduced cheats for “MotorStorm Arctic Edge”, which was available on both the PSP and PlayStation 2. One of the most notable cheats allowed players to use unlimited boosts by bypassing the in-game restrictions. Sony claimed that these cheats infringed on its copyright by attaching to the game’s software in a harmful way.
According to Sony, the cheat “latched on like a parasite” to the game’s code, violating their intellectual property rights. However, Datel argued that the cheat didn’t modify the game’s software but rather interacted with the code stored in the PSP’s memory. This distinction proved to be a crucial point in the court’s eventual decision.
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Legal Battle and the Final Ruling
Initially, a court ruled in favor of Sony, but Datel appealed the decision. After reviewing the case, the ruling was overturned because Datel’s cheat ran “parallel commands” on memory variables, rather than altering the game software directly. Sony continued to challenge this ruling, eventually taking the case to the European Court of Justice.
The European Court sided with Datel, stating that the cheat did not violate EU copyright laws because it didn’t interfere with the game’s core software. This decision clarified that Datel’s method of “modding” through memory manipulation was legal under EU law.
Impact of the Ruling
Although the court ruled against Sony, it’s important to note that the decision only applies to cheat manufacturers like Datel. Sony still retains the right to ban players who use cheats, whether online or offline. The ruling specifically addresses the legality of Datel’s cheat production, not its use in multiplayer or competitive settings.
Advocate General Maciej Szpunar offered an analogy, likening players using offline cheats to someone reading a book and skipping to the end to find out the ending. While it might spoil the experience, it doesn’t violate the author’s rights.
The Future for Sony and Datel
Neither Sony nor Datel have issued comments regarding the court’s decision. However, the ruling could have significant implications for third-party cheat manufacturers across Europe. For now, cheat production in the EU will continue to be legal, provided it doesn’t modify the actual game software.
