CD Projekt is putting would-be pirates on notice. Those who illegally download The Witcher 2 may receive a letter demanding compensation be paid to the developer or else face legal action.
"Of course we're not happy when people are pirating our games, so we are signing with legal firms and torrent sneaking companies," CD Projekt co-founder Marcin Iwiński told Eurogamer.
"In quite a few big countries, when people are downloading it illegally they can expect a letter from a legal firm saying, 'Hey, you downloaded it illegally and right now you have to pay a fine.'
We are totally fair, but if you decide you will not buy it legally there is a chance you'll get a letter.”
Just what percentage of pirates will be receiving a letter is unclear, and it's likely that CD Projekt hopes that the simple knowledge that they are monitoring torrents and are capable of taking legal action is enough to deter piracy. However, given the fact that both the Recording Industry Association of America and Motion Picture Association of America have tried similar strategies without a great deal of success, we're not getting our hopes up. What's more, the kinds of monitoring that those “torrent sneaking” companies do is an incredibly blunt tool for finding pirates, as the RIAA experiment has shown. It's been a PR nightmare for the recording industry.
While we support a developers' right to receive payment for its work, we hope that CD Projekt shows more discretion and reason than those in whose inept footsteps they're following. In other words, nail the pirates, but don't sue the deceased, shake down children, or threaten those not involved with piracy at all.
The good news is that The Witcher 2, when purchased from GOG, will not feature built-in DRM. It will not require an internet connection to play, and will be installable any number of times.
[Source: Eurogamer]
Nov 23, 2010
