Game maker sues over nude volleyball

Game publisher Tecmo announced Wednesday that it has sued users of an Internet message board that distributes hacks for its games, including several that remove the bikinis from players in a popular volleyball game.

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.

[unknown unknown]

Remind me not buy anymore of TECMO's crap

<EOM>

[Jonathan]

Ditto...never again

Pity I really like their DoA games. But that company can go to **** for all I care. I will never touch their wares ever again. Hacks have been around since the beginning of time. Get bent you sue happy ***holes!!

[aabcdefghij987654321]

They just lost another customer

Just like I did with music, so I'm doing
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!!!

[hedred]

c'mon Tecmo

you definitely sold more of this crappy game because of this hack and are probably just sueing to get more publicity

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.

Ludicrous

Ok, this is absolute crapola. No judge in his right mind is going to award damages to a company where there are no violations occured. These people are not pirating software, they are not releasing source code. In essence, they are not hurting Tecmo in any way shape, or form. Tecmo is just upset that people are showing more creativity than themselves with the game.

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.

[Stan Kee]

hopefully

Hopefully Congress will include Techmo's actions as part of the anti-frivolous lawsuit plan. It's only just if our access to the courts are to be restricted companies like Techmo's should be also.

Yes never again

Never again Tecmo, This is just silly, what happened to freedom, and being able to do what ever you want once the product is in your hands. I am shocked that a company would do this and that they can sue for it. They are not redistributing the game that way. Get off your high horse, Gov't stay out of this as well. There go more of our freedoms down the drain more and more.

[Thomas, David]

Lost Me To

a. The so-called hacks, have expanded their customer base
b. The so-called hacks are used to enhance an experience with
the games, not hurt them
c. They can s-- m- ---k!