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The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Chicago, accuses Web site administrators Mike Greiling of Eden Prairie, Minn., Will Glynn of Davie, Fla., and others of knowingly infringing on Tecmo's proprietary software for the games, which run on Microsoft's Xbox console.
Greiling could not be located for comment, and Glynn was not immediately available. The site in question, www.ninjahacker.net, appears to have been abandoned.
Tecmo, a Torrance, Calif.-based subsidiary of Japan's Tecmo, said it has launched an investigation "to find and identify all offenders in this case." The lawsuit charges the defendants with violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and seeks unspecified damages.
"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," John Inada, general manager for Tecmo, said in a statement. "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."
Some of the most popular game hacks circulating on the site were for "Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball," which features scantily clad women. The hacks created new "skins" for the characters, rendering them naked.
The publisher posted a warning on its main Web site last year vowing action against those distributed the hacks. "We're watching you very closely!" the notice read. "Please do not post anything about nude patches and other hacked information or you will be punished to the fullest extent of the law...So far we're tracking one suspect, anybody care to be the second?"
Tecmo's parent company won a similar case in Japan two years ago in which it sued distributors of a naked hack for the action game "Dead or Alive II."
Reuters contributed to this report.
See more CNET content tagged:
hack, game company, intellectual property, Japan, gamer






with video games. I only listen to and support
the independents.
I bought the game, I own the game, and I'm
not reselling or redistributing the game. If I
want naked chicks for the game it's my business
not theirs! I definitly will not be buying any
more games from this outfit. I think I'm going
to get a mod chip and start downloading games
just like a couple of my buddies. The Game
cartels are now cutting their own throats by
persecuting their customers.
NO MORE!!! MAKE THEM IRRELEVANT JUST LIKE THEY
WANT TO DO TO THE CONSUMER!!!
you made a vball game with women in bikinis - what did you expect
you guys should try making another football game - that was the only one you did right.
Tecmo, get a grip, shut up, and sit down. Look at Half Life. Where would we be today if people did not make mods for that game? CounterStrike, DeathMatchClassic, all those mods were created by players, not valve.
If Tecmo is really serious about doing this, they are going to doom themselves on the American market.
- Lost Me To
- by Thomas, David February 14, 2005 8:12 AM PST
- a. The so-called hacks, have expanded their customer base
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(8 Comments)b. The so-called hacks are used to enhance an experience with
the games, not hurt them
c. They can s-- m- ---k!