Gamertell

In May 2008, Crytek announced that it will be abandoning PC exclusivity due to problems with pirated copies of Crysis. Now, Ubisoft Shanghai creative director Michael de Plater revealed to Videogaming247 reasons why the copany won’t bring the anticipated EndWar to the PC.

Ubisoft has been having such big problems with piracy of Assassin’s Creed that they sued the disc’s manufacturers, Optical Experts Manufacturing. This is because the PC-version was leaked to the public two months before the…

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If all that excitement over the recent Watchman trailer wasn’t enough for you, consider the legal drama over the film’s right to exist. Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox are locked in what could be a very bloody battle with the film (directed by Zack Snyder and set to release on March 6, 2009) at stake. Here’s the gist, minus the legal jargon: Fox is trying to get an injunction to bar the release of the flick, and Warner Bros. position is that they have no (legal) leg to stand on with their argument.

There’s a long history here, where Fox first sought rights to make a film out of the property, then abandoned the project. Sour grapes much? Maybe, but the movie business is about as cutthroat as it gets. ICV2 is reporting on the ongoing feud, which they speculate may end in a deal with Fox to get a share of the sure-to-be-huge profits. After all, everyone and their dog was excited by the trailer, and comic book movies are huge right now (box office gold, anyone?).

Read [ICV2 ]

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Today (July 29, 2008), Nintendo and 54 Japanese software makers filed a lawsuit against five Japanese companies which have been distributing R4 DS units and similar slot-1 devices. The five companies have reportedly been importing the devices and selling them to the public.

This news comes on the heels of retailers in the UK asking for R4 cards to be banned. According to MCV, retailers in the UK are noticing a decrease in DS game sales and are blaming the use of piracy devices like the R4. Sure, its the fault of pirates. It isn’t because games are much more expensive in Europe than in the US so people may be a bit more choosy concerning purchases. For example, Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training aka Brain Age is £14.98/$29.87, Mario Kart DS is £24.98/$49.82 and Harvest Moon DS is £28.48/$56.80.

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Hasbro has just filed a lawsuit against the makers of the popular Facebook application Scrabulous. Scrabulous was created by Rajat Agarwalla and Jayant Agarwalla under the name RJ Softwares and has 506,580 daily active users according to its Facebook page.

Hasbro is alledging that Scrabulous is ripping off its board game (and now Facebook game) Scrabble. Hasbro is demanding that the application be removed from Facebook in US and Canada, since EA and Hasbro have released a Scrabble Facebook app in those countries.

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Haven’t caught all of the Gamertell news this week?  Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!

• ThinkGeek June 2008 catalog’s game-related goodies
  “The most recent issue of ThinkGeek catalog has been delivered and, as usual, it features several gamer goodies. Here’s a list of the game-related goodies in the June 2008 ThinkGeek catalog.  …“ MORE »
• Rumor: Sony readying break apart PS3 controller to trump Wii-mote
  “ The videogames media is abuzz with rumors of a new, groundbreaking PS3 controller that will “break apart” into two separate units. Sony hasn’t commented on the news but industry insiders expect an official…“ MORE »
• Nintendo launches legal battle against Nyko over Kama Nunchuk
  “Nintendo has been riding high on Wii’s success but every now and then it has to worry about things like piracy and trademark infringement to protect its position. Currently on its radar is leading Wii-peripheral manufacturer Nyko, which has…“ MORE »
• Gamertell Review: The Incredible Hulk movie
  “Title: The Incredible Hulk Release Date: June, 13, 2008 Publisher (Developer): Marvel Films, Universal Studios Rating: PG-13 Pros: Good acting, plenty of action, lots of Marvel fanboy Easter eggs, great music,…“ MORE »
• Alienware’s Area-51 m15x might not entirely exhaust your wallet
  “Although most Alienware products are financially out-of-bounds for many gamers, there are still a few that are not. Take for instance the new Alienware Area-51 m15x gaming notebook which will not plunge too deep in your pockets with…“ MORE »

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After Gibson Guitars sued Guitar Hero’s publisher Activision and some major game retailers, alleging that the game infringes upon one of its patents (related to technology required for simulating a musical performance). It has realized that the other leading game in the music genre, Rock Band, is also in violation of its patent. Now Gibson Guitars is suing Rock Band’s developer Harmonix, its parent company MTV Networks and the game’s distributor, Electronic Arts…

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Square Enix Co., Ltd., recently announced the results of its copyright infringement case against Korean pop singer Ivy’s music video Temptation Sonata that aired in February 2007. The video was produced by HONG Jeong-ho and the Fantom Entertainment Group (a talent agency).

The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Square Enix and ordered the talent agency and Jeong-ho to pay damages up to…

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While EA’s takeover bid for Take-Two has hogged all the limelight for the past week, there is finally some other big news concerning another major deal. According to a report from Bloomberg, an investor has sued Activision as it is disgruntled with the terms of the publisher’s merger with Vivendi SA. The investor, Michigan-based Employees’ Retirement System, alleges that the company’s management failed to…

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In what could be considered another case of a large multi-million dollar company picking on the little guy, Square Enix has announced it has filed a federal lawsuit against several California-based defendants. Square Enix claims that the defendants have infringed on its intellectual property, namely Final Fantasy.

The lawsuit is focused on four wholesale retailers who have allegedly sold unlicensed replica weapons based on several Final Fantasy games. Square Enix is expected to file more…

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Take-Two has finally detailed how players who were offended by the hot-coffee scene in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas can go about receiving compensation for the game. Since a settlement (PDF) has been reached and filed November 19, 2007, there was still some confusion as to how gamers could apply to receive monetary compensation.

In order to clarify the requirements and procedures of obtaining compensation, the details of the lawsuit and the agreement between Take-Two and the legal officials involved in this settlement have provided instructions for settlement procedures (PDF) on the GTA settlement website. This includes what consumers need to provide with their claims to qualify for any monies to be paid out…

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