Qld man to pay $1.5m for illegal upload of Wii game

[JADED]

Qld man to pay $1.5m for illegal upload

A Queensland man will have to pay Nintendo $1.5 million in damages after illegally copying and uploading one of its new Wii games to the internet ahead of its release, the gaming giant says.....

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/6781019/qld-man-to-pay-1-5m-for-illegal-upload/

Ouch. In case the $1.5m doesn't hurt enough, he also has to cough up their $100,000 court fees. Game over.

 

[CF]

you play the piracy game and there is always a chance you get caught out.

 

[madhawkboy]

Didn't have a strong enough firewall.

 

[KevinCat07]

How is he going to pay that off? He will be an old man before he pays all that back surely.

Better start entering Powerball every week, buddy.

Oh well, sucks to be him.

 

[Caj]

If he doesn't own his own home he can simply declare bankruptcy and not pay the scumbags a single cent

 

[KevinCat07]

Guys, I did a bit of maths and I may be wrong but if he earned 40k a year from now on he would be 64 by the time he would be anywhere near paying it off, BUT that's not counting the fact much of his income would go to food, rent, bills etc.

So he would probably be over 70 before he could do it, however he lives with his parents so I very much doubt he does or will earn anywhere near 40k anytime soon.

Considering all this he may find a way to get around this fine.

 

[Jafa]

Hands up anyone who thinks he will actually have to pay it all. Not going to happen.

 

[BATTERY]

Consider this, then, as a potential scenario: Burt isn't going to owe Nintendo a cent. Or, at least, won't owe them anywhere near $1.5 million. As the publisher is so fond of public displays of aggression against game pirates, I think they settled out of court, slapped a gag order on him, let the media parade him around for a week showing how sorry he was and how hard Nintendo has cracked down on a single, lonely "pirate", and will then let him be, his punishment served, Nintendo's point, well and truly made.

http://kotaku.com/5468379/somethings-not-quite-right-about-nintendos-aussie-pirate

I think so to.

 

[dumb]

Nintendo said in a statement on Tuesday it was able to trace Burt by using sophisticated technological forensics after the game was uploaded to the internet.

have also read he bragged about uploading it and got caught through that.

 

[Niximus]

He would have got less or a punishment if he'd stolen a truck full of the games...

 

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Well the punishment definitely fits the crime.

 

[Nardz]

he'll end up appealing, and probably win

this has happened so many times - it's the publicity from the first case that these pricks want

 

[lions_den]

Everyone should mass boycott Wii, stick it up 'em!

 

[G.O.B]

he'll end up appealing, and probably win

this has happened so many times - it's the publicity from the first case that these pricks want

Everyone should mass boycott Wii, stick it up 'em!

If everyone downloads the games then which "pricks" are going to spend millions on developing them?

Don't necessarily have a problem with people downloading copyrighted stuff but I do have a problem when people get all indignant and shit when the companies strike back. It's not your right to download copyrighted material.
Do not take the position that it is.

By all accounts, the uploading of the game 5 days earlier than the release date cost the producers in excess of 5mil.
When everyone starts downloading every new release dont be suprised when the games start looking like this again.

 

[Nardz]

If everyone downloads the games then which "pricks" are going to spend millions on developing them?

Don't necessarily have a problem with people downloading copyrighted stuff but I do have a problem when people get all indignant and shit when the companies strike back. It's not your right to download copyrighted material.
Do not take the position that it is.

By all accounts, the uploading of the game 5 days earlier than the release date cost the producers in excess of 5mil.
When everyone starts downloading every new release dont be suprised when the games start looking like this again.

you cant seriously think $1.5m is reasonable punishment for uploading a game?

if they charged a reasonable amount for their games (and not over $100) then there wouldn't be as much as a problem with piracy..

that said ive had my ps3 for a couple of years now and have stupidly pay full price for all the games i have..

 

[G.O.B]

you cant seriously think $1.5m is reasonable punishment for uploading a game?

if they charged a reasonable amount for their games (and not over $100) then there wouldn't be as much as a problem with piracy..

that said ive had my ps3 for a couple of years now and have stupidly pay full price for all the games i have..

Was it a civil case or a criminal one?

Furthermore, I didn't actually comment on the case itself, just the posters that got their knickers in a knot about "sticking it to the man".

$1.5m seems a ridiculous amount to fine an individual but you are all so sure he wont have to actually pay it so where's the drama.
Even if he does, it's not like he didn't know that what he was doing might cause somewhat of a fuss and that the law of the land might be enforced.

As for the price of games, I like most people don't enjoy handing over $100 for a game but then, I cant say that most of the ones I've bought for my XBox360 haven't provided me entertainment in excess of the $100 that I paid.
I've got a feeling that most people that have made a habit of downloading games, movies, music etc would still do so no matter how reasonably the product was priced.

And lastly, do you not agree that if everyone downloaded their games, that eventually no company would actually develop the awesome games that are currently on the market.
I can only imagine that it's not bloody cheap to do so.

 

[Nardz]

And lastly, do you not agree that if everyone downloaded their games, that eventually no company would actually develop the awesome games that are currently on the market.
I can only imagine that it's not bloody cheap to do so.

i would say before they stopped developing games, they might actually start to price their products a bit cheaper...

FIFA 10 was selling for $110 when it came out a couple of months ago - they've sold 4.5 million copies already (and that is despite piracy)

so how much of the half a billion dollars in revenue do you think was actually spent to make the game?

 

[G.O.B]

i would say before they stopped developing games, they might actually start to price their products a bit cheaper...

FIFA 10 was selling for $110 when it came out a couple of months ago - they've sold 4.5 million copies already (and that is despite piracy)

so how much of the half a billion dollars in revenue do you think was actually spent to make the game?

And how much of the $200 you pay for a decent pair of Nikes was spent on actually making it?
Just because you don't like the price doesn't give you the right to practically steal it.

People that download are not idealistic warriors battling the evil forces of EA games. They're simply opportunistic thieves safely swiping whatever they want from the safety of their computer room.

 

[Nardz]

And how much of the $200 you pay for a decent pair of Nikes was spent on actually making it?
Just because you don't like the price doesn't give you the right to practically steal it.

People that download are not idealistic warriors battling the evil forces of EA games. They're simply opportunistic thieves safely swiping whatever they want from the safety of their computer room.

if someone found a way to mass-reproduce nike runners for free with the exact same quality then i would be all for it

its not quite stealing (though they would be have you believe that), unless i actually go to EB Games and pinch a copy from the shelf and take it home.

 

[red+black]

I saw this thread when it was posted and thought it must have been posted by a young teenager.

I thought "What a cheek to call the 24yo guy an Old man!"

 

[A Living God]

i would say before they stopped developing games, they might actually start to price their products a bit cheaper...

FIFA 10 was selling for $110 when it came out a couple of months ago - they've sold 4.5 million copies already (and that is despite piracy)

so how much of the half a billion dollars in revenue do you think was actually spent to make the game?

The American retail price would be about $60 (All figures USD)
Development costs - $45 million ($10 per unit)
Promotional costs - $90 million ($20 per unit)
Production and Distribution costs - $5 per unit
Total cost per unit - $35 per unit
Wholesale price - $50 per unit
Gross Margin - $15 per unit
- $67.5 million
That is without considering allocation of fixed overheads and income tax.
All it needs to be considered that FIFA is flagship title, the profit made must of offset by the majority of games that make very little or even lose money.

 

[Nardz]

The American retail price would be about $60 (All figures USD)
Development costs - $45 million ($10 per unit)
Promotional costs - $90 million ($20 per unit)
Production and Distribution costs - $5 per unit
Total cost per unit - $35 per unit
Wholesale price - $50 per unit
Gross Margin - $15 per unit
- $67.5 million
That is without considering allocation of fixed overheads and income tax.
All it needs to be considered that FIFA is flagship title, the profit made must of offset by the majority of games that make very little or even lose money.

i find it interesting that you quote promotional costs being twice that of development...


i highly doubt it - especially considering that the game pretty much sells itself - hardly ever see ads for it.

 

[Crooza]

you cant seriously think $1.5m is reasonable punishment for uploading a game?

Didn't they go by the number of people that actually downloaded the content that the accused uploaded though? That's what I thought happened.

So they basically sued him for lost revenue made from the illegal copies that were downloaded.

It wouldn't matter what games were priced at, people still want something for nothing, I can't see the big fuss.. It's a Wii game not a copy of milli vanilli

 

[And_ROOS]

I remember when game companies released quality games, none of this half baked, half finished, buggy bullsh*t that floods the markets. Back when each sequel was a legitimate upgrade, and not a simple roster update (looking at you EA).

Game producers get lazier, piracy goes up. All the best games, where companies have given us value for money, get minimal piracy. The games where companies have basically phoned it in get pirated, as people dont believe they are getting value for the high price they pay.

Why should i pay full price for a kit edit and roster change?

You shouldn't.

Companies have gotten greedy, and now are complaining when people follow suit and don't play fair via privacy.