Game sharers face legal crackdown

[Tami]

[url=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7568642.stm\"]Game sharers face legal crackdown[/url]

A British woman who put a game on a file-sharing network has been ordered to pay damages to the game's creator.

Topware Interactive has won more than £16,000 following legal action against Isabella Barwinska of London, who shared a copy of Dream Pinball 3D.

Three other suspected sharers of the game are awaiting damages hearings.

The test case could open the floodgates for litigation against thousands of other Britons suspected of sharing the game.

'A lot more'

In the case heard at London's Patents County Court the game maker won damages of £6,086.56 plus costs of £10,000.

"The damages and costs ordered by the Court are significant and should act as a deterrent," said David Gore, a partner at Davenport Lyons who acted for Topware.

He added: "This shows that taking direct steps against infringers is an important and effective weapon in the battle against online piracy."

[url=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7568642.stm\"]Read the rest of the story on BBC News[/url]

[NightStorm]

Unless the game is a legally distributed torrent (read:Warhammer) and the only way to get it is to actually download and seed to other people through a tracker... you know, seeing as how the actual distributer won't help the customers receive the game any...

Not that any company would do THAT.