The DMCA claims another court victory
Bungie has succeeded in the latest of an increasing line of lawsuits targeting online cheat sellers — The Destiny 2 developer was awarded $12 million in damages this week in its case against website VeteranCheats and its owner, Mihai Claudiu-Florentin.
As reported by The Game Post, Bungie filed suit against Romanian Claudi-Florentin in 2021, accusing the website owner of committing copyright infringement and tortious interference through the development selling of various hacks and cheats, distributed through the VeteranCheats domain. The key software allows players to see through walls and auto-aim, alongside other in-game advantages.
Bungie argued that the sale of VeteranCheats had caused significant harm to Destiny 2 and its community, frustrating users and undermining the game’s intent. Bungie sought default judgment of just over $12 million USD, including statutory damages of $2,000 for each of the cheat’s 5,848 downloads, as well as an additional $146,000 for copyright violation, and payment for the studio’s legal fees.
The District Court of Washington found in favor of Bungie’s claim, and ordered a total damage reparation of $12,059,912.98. In addition, Claudi-Florentin was barred from engaging in any activity that opposes Bungie’s copyright act and DMCA rulings. As of this writing, the VeteranCheats website is still operational, selling cheats for other popular video games including Call of Duty and PUBG. The Destiny 2 hacks, obviously, have since been removed.
This lawsuit represents the latest of a series of successful suits Bungie has filed against online cheat sellers, having previously won damage cases against companies such as AimJunkies, LaviCheats, and Elite Boss Tech.
Bungie Wins $12 Million Award Against Destiny 2 Cheat Seller [The Game Post / GamesIndustry.biz]
Published: May 4, 2023 02:00 pm