And Blizzard’s Legal Battle Is Not over Yet
As a result of a default judgment against Bossland, Blizzard is to be compensated a sum of $8.5 million dollars. Bossland represents a series of cheat tools and hacks distributed across the U..S. Those include Honorbuddy, Demonbuddy, Stormbuddy, Hearthbuddy, and Watchover Tyrant. Basically, no matter what Blizzard game you have played: Hearthstone, Starcraft, Overwatch–you get the idea, there was a cheat for it. Of course, Blizzard dealt with the distributor sanely and appropriately.
Due to “42,818 infringements,” Blizzard has been reimbursed the full sought in damages, which is 8.5 million dollars. Essentially, $200 for every infringement, the minimum statutory charge per. And they received every dollar without any court proceedings. Sure, Bossland probably complied with the lawsuit but in no official capacity. The cheat maker never showed up to court; thus, Blizzard didn’t have to fight for a penny. Their lawyers and proper execs made their entrance and left with $8.5 million which included $174,872.00 in attorney fees.
However, the legal battle between Bossland and Blizzard is expected to continue in other regions. The case in the U.S. was actually Blizzard’s second successful filing. Last January, they won a case in Germany that halted the selling of cheat tool Honorbuddy. With everything said, the titanic gaming company could traverse a long-winding road of legal disputes before all regions are free of such infringements. Or it could prove a very direct road if Bossland’s absence served any indication. Moreover, the UK has already halted the distribution of Bossland’s tools and hacks. The cheat maker’s UK website is currently barred and greeting visitors with the following Message:
“On 16th March 2017, Bossland GmbH, and its directors Mr Zwetan Letschew and Mr Patrick Kirk admitted, in and for the purposes of proceedings before the High Court of England and Wales, that the sale of its software which it sells as Honorbuddy, Gatherbuddy, Demonbuddy, Hearthbuddy, Stormbuddy and Watchover Tyrant, to any person resident in the United Kingdom, constitutes an infringement of Blizzard’s intellectual property rights and an inducement to players of Blizzard’s games to breach their agreements with Blizzard. Accordingly, Bossland and its directors are no longer permitted to advertise or offer for sale such software to UK residents.”
Seeing as Blizzard serves a nexus of online gaming, their marketing power is contingent on digital services and content. Thus, you can expect infringers and cheat makers like Bossland to be relentlessly pursued until they are put out of play. Expect to hear about more lawsuits until then.
In the meantime, let us know your thoughts on Blizzard’s actions. There’s plenty discussion to be had concerning the gaming giant. So feel free to drop a comment down below. Then remember to check back for more news, updates, and revelations. Happy gaming.