Kotaku
OK, that's 'apparently' up in the headline, but the alliteration trip wouldn't let me spell it any other way.
In any case, smart arcade info site Arcade Renaissance has spotted a new lawsuit against an Illinois-based arcade game distributor for making Pac-Man arcade cabinets without their permission:
The suit claims that Eagle Distributing is currently in violation of Namco Bandai's properties through the sale of unauthorized and counterfeit products without authorization from the company. These products include their GameboX Multi-arcade systems and Ms. Pac-Man and More Cocktail and Upright cabinets. The lawsuit seeks damages, right of seizure, and a stop to any further violations from Eagle Distributing.
If nothing else, it's a testament to Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani's genius that companies are still pirating the game, more than 25 years after its 1980 debut.
Namco Bandai announces a lawsuit against Eagle Distributing [Arcade Renaissance]
Comments
typo found! Aparently! woohoo! :)
....
okay. just realised it might be deliberate.
:/
doh.
For that last time counterfeit/bootleg =/= piracy!
Was it just the external cabinet being counterfeited, or the hardware/software as well? Whatever, it's still fraud.
And wow, that place is well within driving distance.
Parent Property Pushes Pretty Penny Per Pac-Man. Possible Prosecution Pounds Pirate's Pooter.
I think they are referring to this; [www.eagled.com]
which is a pair of their cabinets, holding what is, basically, generic hardware that is, among other things, capable of playing pacman. But, perhaps, the design of the cabinets is close/identical to the original pacman cabinets?
I don't see the part where they're selling pacman directly, though.
No sympathy for anyone who sells the "CrystalCade". Ugh.
[www.eagled.com]
@jacksinn:
Pleasantly Presented.
--
This is a bit surprising to me, though. Pac-Man is so historical that emulation of it is often unavoidable. There are plenty of games that are nearly identical to Tetris that manage to avoid similar lawsuits.
Unless, of course, they are intentionally producing a counterfeit Pac-Man and profiting off of its popularity. Even so, how much of a profit could they have turned to seek damages?
oh, nope, here it is;
[www.eagled.com]
Hrm, I'm not sure it the dedicated Pac-man cabinets are legit, but they seem to be selling MAME machines.... with games pre-loaded. Oh god, the idiots. Though I do wish it were possible to just buy legit MAME downloads.
Here's a hint people:
DLing a game yourself: won't get caught, probably won't get sued
Selling a game you DLed: will get caught, possible jail time
@deathbunny:
It looks like they include software, though it's Ms. Pac-Man as opposed to its masculine counterpart.
The word you're looking for in the headline is "purportedly".
@Heliophage:
Nevahmind, both are there.
Like books, is there a statute of limitations on the copyright of a game? I believe it's 100 years for books and music (could be TOTALLY OFF here). Not like I'll even be around for the 100 year anniversary of Pac Man, though.
The word you're looking for is purportedly
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