Nexon Wins Lawsuit 750k
Source: http://cas-ncr-nter03.cas-satj.gc.ca/IndexingQueries/infp_RE_info_e.php?court_no=T-19-10
So this guy didn't use anything of Nexon's except their WZ files (which he didn't edit) and a cracked version of their client.
He has to pay a total of $750k and Nexon's court fees.
edit:
So more information:
I'm don't know this guy very well on a personal level. I think we only exchanged words a few times, but he had his own server while working for a ton of other ones. He also was global moderator of a development forum (which sucked, but still). He never participated in any copyright infringement stuff except for running a server as the server files were written without seeing the actual code in game and the client reversing wasn't done by him either.
My opinion is that he shouldn't have lost $750,000 but I can see why Nexon would easily win this.
98 Comments • Newest first
[quote=Eyelit]"So this guy didn't use anything of Nexon's except their WZ files (which he didn't edit) and a cracked version of their client."
You just contradicted yourself in the same sentence. Nice.[/quote]
I'm fairly sure you don't know what you're talking about. You either missed the word "except" or you misunderstood the whole thing.
1. The WZ files were not edited. No one edits them and back in his time no one could even edit them due to lack of tools.
2. Cracked version of their client means the hackshield is removed and the IP checks that periodically scan to make sure it's going to Nexon's is removed. Of course themida is also unpacked. In later versions, as in past v80, Nexon implemented an authentication server for login, and this has to be rerouted as well (or we can emulate the auth server, which I haven't seen anyone do yet). Nexon occasionally updates the checks, and I believe one was added in v102 or so.
"So this guy didn't use anything of Nexon's except their WZ files (which he didn't edit) and a cracked version of their client."
You just contradicted yourself in the same sentence. Nice.
lol wasnt there a basiler who said he was going to sue nexon
[quote=Skiwizard]WTF, this happened in my own city and I didn't even hear a thing about it o.o
(Ottawa)[/quote]
It was in Vancouver o.o
[quote=Firemonus2]A full life that could have been successful crushed by Nexon. Not amazed.[/quote]
Crushed by breaking the law and getting caught.
You do the crime, you do the time. Doesn't matter if it was stealing a program or stealing a TV.
[quote=Beldor]He owned MapleTales. I was good friends with him and all the Gm's on the server. He didn't have to pay the 750k by the way. He's only 17 so Nexon let it go. Ironic part is that Nexon gave him a job because he's a good coder [/quote]
Somehow I doubt that.
Also he never edited WZ files.
Poor anujan...
[quote=Beldor]He owned MapleTales. I was good friends with him and all the Gm's on the server. He didn't have to pay the 750k by the way. He's only 17 so Nexon let it go. Ironic part is that Nexon gave him a job because he's a good coder [/quote]
I wonder how true this is. If so, he's a lucky guy. o_o
Wow, straight to the point. Thanks for sharing, TS.
OT: So you knew him somewhat? That's interesting.
[quote=Nycticorax]Great. More money for fracking nexon to get its greedy hands on. </3 </3 </3 </3 >.< >.<[/quote]
Im reading this comment, while looking at your royal hair, royal face, and nx clothes. You seem to have coughed up a decent amount yourself.
[quote=Extractor]if nexon would fix their game then people wouldn't feel the need to play on illegal servers[/quote]
lolol, there are illegal servers for almost every game.
why do we need to know this? thx for sharing tho.. i guess
I stopped reading after the part where it's written without periods.
if nexon would fix their game then people wouldn't feel the need to play on illegal servers
Nexon's probably thinking "Oh yay 750k dollars F3....Like that's a lot....lol"
[quote=BobR]The WZ files are copyrighted Intellectual Property and protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Copying them except as permitted by the owner of the Intellectual Property is a violation of the law.
It doesn't matter if you have a copy of them and I have a copy of them, those are permitted by Nexon since we're using THEIR game.
Stealing them to use on a server that competes with Nexon's is illegal. And he got caught stealing.
The WZ files are encrypted. Decryption and reverse-engineering is also prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
In order to modify the WZ files, he had to decrypt and reverse-engineer them.
He broke the law there too.
Distribution of copyrighted Intellectual Property except as authorized by the owner of the copyright is prohibited under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
By distributing the illegally modified and copied WZ files and client program to people not authorized by Nexon to have them, he broke the law.
He broke the law, and he got caught. There's no innocence here.
Additionally, the court summary you posted appears to indicate he didn't put up a defense. He knew he was guilty and didn't fight it.
. .
. .
Nexon may not have had anything to do with the penalty.
In a lot of things like this the penalty is set by LAW, not necessarily what the plaintiff asks for.
The information posted by the TS doesn't include any details about how the judgement amount was determined.
Also, there are indications in the court summary posted by the TS (which apparently very few people actually read) that indicates there may have been a settlement between Nexon and the defendent, so it's possible he may not have to pay the actual judgement amount. There were no details about that, so that's just a guess.
The kid was stealing property from a big company and got caught. Now he's got to be a big boy and live up to that.
He's not playing in a video game world when it involves real world laws and courts.[/quote]
He never changed the wz files. Actually i'm pretty sure he's using the same ones you are using. I'm also pretty sure Nexon didn't even say anything about the wz files. They're only saying stuff about client and the fact that he ran a server.
Also I doubt the law sets this stuff at 750k since other trials currently going on are going for much less.
[quote=moogra2u]No one stole anything from Nexon. The WZ files are public, and you have them too (you didn't steal them).[/quote]
The WZ files are copyrighted Intellectual Property and protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Copying them except as permitted by the owner of the Intellectual Property is a violation of the law.
It doesn't matter if you have a copy of them and I have a copy of them, those are permitted by Nexon since we're using THEIR game.
Stealing them to use on a server that competes with Nexon's is illegal. And he got caught stealing.
The WZ files are encrypted. Decryption and reverse-engineering is also prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
In order to modify the WZ files, he had to decrypt and reverse-engineer them.
He broke the law there too.
Distribution of copyrighted Intellectual Property except as authorized by the owner of the copyright is prohibited under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
By distributing the illegally modified and copied WZ files and client program to people not authorized by Nexon to have them, he broke the law.
He broke the law, and he got caught. There's no innocence here.
Additionally, the court summary you posted appears to indicate he didn't put up a defense. He knew he was guilty and didn't fight it.
. .
. .
[quote=iLickYouPls]Nexon was too friggin harsh about this. There is no way a the damages/potential profit loss from a ________ could have amounted to $750,000, including court costs. The premise of the case is clearly defined and the winner was pretty obvious. There is not way that Nexon could've spent even $450,000 on the case. Nexon is just being way way too harsh on him. I think a minimal fine of perhaps $5000 and a law-mandated shut down of each ______ is more fair.[/quote]
Nexon may not have had anything to do with the penalty.
In a lot of things like this the penalty is set by LAW, not necessarily what the plaintiff asks for.
The information posted by the TS doesn't include any details about how the judgement amount was determined.
Also, there are indications in the court summary posted by the TS (which apparently very few people actually read) that indicates there may have been a settlement between Nexon and the defendent, so it's possible he may not have to pay the actual judgement amount. There were no details about that, so that's just a guess.
The kid was stealing property from a big company and got caught. Now he's got to be a big boy and live up to that.
He's not playing in a video game world when it involves real world laws and courts.
LOL. silly nexon if they didn't do such a half assed job, people wouldn't go and play Pizza Slices. </3
Are you the lady who made Moongra?
Poor guy. That's why you shouldn't make Pizza Slices, or be involved in them.
[quote=myrdrex]I agree that IP thieves (especially ones that flaunt it and/or try to make a profit) should pay the same price for their crimes as any other common thief would.
However, I don't think we need to go so far as to move towards cruel and unusual punishment. Whatever damages he caused, he is 100% liable for. $750k seems reasonable- especially covering the court costs. But at some point we do need to make sure the punishment fits the crime.[/quote]
He was an easy target due to the amount of personal information on the internet. He, however, was not in it for the money. He was a developer, one of the oldest, so he was more in the development of the server source code. I agree that people that crack and distribute warez have it coming to them, but here this is another thing. The files on the server are coded without prior knowledge of what's on the server. No one stole anything from Nexon. The WZ files are public, and you have them too (you didn't steal them). The client is the very one that you use as well, except just rerouted to Nexon (which he didn't do).
So all in all, what this guy did was pretty much host an equivalent to a warez site. I doubt he made Nexon lose $750k as his server wasn't even that popular, with only 30-50 online. The 750k was also excluding court charges.
[quote=PcPls123]I didn't know that minors could sign and be bound to any contract.[/quote]
What makes you think he's a minor..? He's 18 years old. Old enough to know that violating the law has consequences, and yet violate them he did.
@ Everyone who thinks Nexon is heartless for trying to take so much money from an 18 year old, they may not have had any say in the matter.
It's entirely possible the amount was a statutory judgement, meaning it was set by law.
Also, for everyone who didn't read the Summary (like most people), there are references to a settlement between Nexon and the kid. So it's possible they actually settled for less than $750k although there are no details about that, if true.
Like they say- you do the crime, you do the time.
@myrdrex:
Yeah for example, Kill someone in COD4 and get a life sentence for murder ^o^
So...double exp anyone?
@carbunion: ok
[quote=iDawnxAngelx]He should get sued for more then 750k... That will teach him a lesson. [/quote]
I agree that IP thieves (especially ones that flaunt it and/or try to make a profit) should pay the same price for their crimes as any other common thief would.
However, I don't think we need to go so far as to move towards cruel and unusual punishment. Whatever damages he caused, he is 100% liable for. $750k seems reasonable- especially covering the court costs. But at some point we do need to make sure the punishment fits the crime.
[quote=WolfDude13]Title. GG.[/quote]
It's mind blowing that people can do that. Man oh man I just want to slap some people in the face with a rusty pipe.
He should get sued for more then 750k... That will teach him a lesson.
[quote=carbunion]nah... confusing moral desert with just desert hardly counts as being blind.
Besides, this is myrdrex, who has more shades of sarcasm than your monitor has colors.[/quote]
Ha! +42 fig newtons for you.
But in this case, believe it or not, I was being absolutely serious. (Yes, I know, it makes me feel a bit dirty, I suspect I'll need a longer shower than Jodie Foster after visiting a biker bar)
As someone who makes a living developing software (>>> Beware, that makes me very biased! <<<, I fully recognize the huge investment it takes to produce an end product.
I have 0 respect for people who steal IP. Whether it's stealing a copy of Office, Flash Builder, Photoshop, stealing the R&D for a new drug, running an extra manufacturing shift to pirate exact clones of IPads, or any other IP crime, countless hours of blood sweat and tears go into producing intellectual property. Whether I work 3000 hours to earn enough for a diamond ring for my wife, or I work 3000 hours developing some software- either way it's something of value. Theft is theft.
So yeah, I honestly do want to see IP thieves punished. $750k? Well, that's a bit much. Covering their court costs is absolutely fair (which is probably in the hundreds of thousands). And if they actually lost that much from it, then I'm in full agreement. If not, well, I've never been one to advocate for the 2 million dollar lawsuit for some idiot complaining that hot coffee from Mickie-Ds was hot.
@Zulucker I was blind until I saw the work IP involves. I highly recommend that before calling others blind, you spend time earning a living and watching others steal from your work.
@carbunion: i didnt get your first sentence
@myrdrex: you're blind
[quote=Zulucker]how is this stealing? he only copied the files and nexon didnt lose any money (if not they made more money from more players joining) seriously look at the whole picture nexon is clearly wrong here for ruining that man's life[/quote]
Nexon spent millions of dollars developing a product. He came along and stole it.
IP theft is theft. It doesn't matter if it's bits and bytes or a diamond, theft is theft.
This thief got precisely what he deserved. He flaunted the law and committed theft. He now has to pay back his victim- the shareholders, developers, and managers that have invested their time and money in the item he stole from.
YES! Stupid man doesnt read Terms and Conditions, stupid man gets hurt.
Wow Anu... I understand that a lot of people here think he got what he deserved. You're entitled to that opinion. I won't deny that what he did was "against the rules." That said... I feel really really horrible about this. I knew him. I'm not sure the crime really fits the punishment (this just doesn't add up to me)... but I guess that doesn't matter to people who are not directly affected by it. Well thanks for sharing this.
@Rellay Called copy and paste bro.
OT: That kid so deserved that.
[quote=AceAites]That kid or whoever he was deserved to be charged with $750,000 and the extra fees. Honestly, if you're not going to read the ToS, at least know what you're accepting. He clearly stole that of which was Nexon's. Normally, I hate the company, but stealing isn't right. Hopefully, this is a warning to others to shut down their Pizza Slices immediately.
Just sorry he was unlucky enough to be the example.[/quote]
>implying that everything in the ToS is bound by law
Lol'd.
@MoogTheBoog: but nexon disagreed to work with them
Oh no
750k more for nexon
It's only one kid's life ruined if he can't pay the 750k, who cares? For those saying they do care, I bet you don't think about other people in poverty around the world.
apparently he has alot of support from his forum members and they are all willing to help donate for him
[quote=tmanxp]its funny how they have time suing people when they don't have time fixing any of the bugs and glitches and hackers in game....all i can say is f* nexon everywhere and in every hole[/quote]
You DO realize that Nexon isn't ONE person right? Most companies have different departments/positions to handle different aspects of what they do. The programmers have little to nothing to do with this.
Umm that's why you don't work for PS, you should know it is technically against the law since you are using Nexon's material without permission. And for the price, obviously Nexon would do something very high to scare away other people who may try to do copyright infrigment. If they just ignore it, more people will just do it because they aren't getting punished. This is also why so many criminals are out there because our justice system is so weak.
Unless the guy was making money off of the pizza slice (ceebz reading it) than is it just bs.
Nexon sewing people because they are inspired by the game and decided to make their own version of it ?
I mean fair enough it is stealing, but 750k wth ? How does nexon intend on this 1 person to pay that...
Like i said this is only if he wasnt making money off the pizza slice! (once again i ceebz reading it)
He must have wished that he only had to pay that in mesos.
OT, if a person does something illegal and gets caught, he will just have to pay for it. It's simple as that.
Nexon is greedy. They try to take tons of money from Maplers and they search for people who used their stuff to gain more money (Copyright, sorta).
750k... i think this guy should be lucky that he didnt lose sooooo much
[quote=Zulucker]how is this stealing? he only copied the files and nexon didnt lose any money (if not they made more money from more players joining) seriously look at the whole picture nexon is clearly wrong here for ruining that man's life[/quote]
It can potentially cause Nexon to lose players; people who play his server could have been Nexon's players. Those servers generally increase the leveling/meso rate so people may end up being bored of MapleStory and not play anymore (kinda like how it gets boring fast when you use too many gameshark codes for console/hand-held games).
[quote=LoudMime]Someone should sue them for that 750,000 [/quote]
EYAHS i get hack ad i wan me mpney beck nao
[quote=Zulucker]how is this stealing? he only copied the files and nexon didnt lose any money (if not they made more money from more players joining) seriously look at the whole picture nexon is clearly wrong here for ruining that man's life[/quote]
This is true on many levels. I won't try argue but I believe sometimes there are cracked servers out there who would ask to donate in exchange of godly crap like.. GM hats etc. I won't say names but I'll admit I've had my share of experience in the past. That is kind of stealing. Then again, who knows if he was really doing that.
[b]damn.[/b]
..
but why would anyone go against nexon?
they've probably got a team of great lawyers..