Gamertell

When information about Capcom’s upcoming Street Fighter game was posted on Blogeek, a tiny little Brazilian gaming site run by Douglas Pereia, Ziff Davis was furious. The information was meant to be held exclusively for the next issue of EGM.

Naturally, gaming websites around the world, including Gamertell, found the information and posted it.

Blogeek received the information from an anonymous source and felt it was legitimate enough news story and posted it. When EGM Brazil caught wind of it, they were furious to find the web had the scoop on a story meant just for them. In fact, the publisher of Brazilian EGM, André Forastieri, sent Pereia threatening e-mails. The first message read:

“The content you posted in the site blogeek is property of Ziff Davis, given from Capcom only to Ziff Davis and EGM issues, with embargo for the publications. Your publication of this subject is theft of intellectual property and should have immediate legal consequences. Ziff Davis and Futuro want you to cut off the content form your site immediately.”

According to Kotaku, Ziff Davis and Capcom lawyers are currently working to see what they could do to Pereia should the sale of the Street Fighter IV issue suffer from the early leak and hold Pereia responsible for the damages.

Pereia tried to make peace and have removed the post from Blogeek with an apology to its readers for the leaked information (the caps are theirs, now ours):

“IT WAS NOT OUR INTENTION TO MESS WITH ANYONE. LIKE EVERY NEWS SITE AND BLOG, WE JUST WANTED TO PASS INFORMATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE INTEREST FOR ANY SUBJECT.

JUST TO CLARIFY, WE DIDN’T HAVE ANY NDA, AND FAR LESS WE WOULD HACK ANYTHING FROM ZIFF DAVIS. A SOURCE CAME TO US AND PASSED SOME INFOS AND THE TWO PICTURES, AND WE PUBLISHED THEM.

ALTHOUGH WE STILL DON’T THINK WE SHOULD, WE REALLY WANT TO APOLOGIZE TO ANYONE WHO GOT HURT WITH THE INCIDENT.

ZIFF DAVIS WAS THREATENING US, AND WE ARE REALLY AFRAID, OF COURSE.”

EGM and Ziff Davis continued to pick on Pereia and has threatened him with police visits and lawsuits for supposedly stealing information from EGM’s IP sites. Which Pereia stands firm that the information came from a legitimate source and no hacking was involved. No threats have been sent out to other game blogging and news sites have appeared yet.

Site [Kotaku] Site [Blogeek]