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I wasn't sure this was at all newsworthy. Turns out the "newsworthy" part is that they're claiming copyright infringement by a greasemonkey script that plays th
by smokinn 17y ago
I wasn't sure this was at all newsworthy. Turns out the "newsworthy" part is that they're claiming copyright infringement by a greasemonkey script that plays the game for you automatically.
They got what they wanted because the script creators don't have the resources to fight in court so basically this is a clear-cut case of legal bullying. The claims would not have stood up in court but it would've been expensive to go through the process so the bigger bankroll wins.
- imgabe 17y agoIt seems wrong that there's no legal recourse against this sort of thing. If you're brought to court on something that has absolutely no legal standing, you should be able to sue for your legal fees.
- pavel_lishin 17y agoI'm pretty sure you can.
- jacquesm 17y agoAs a veteran of 5 court cases I can assure you can in theory but in practice you can't. If you win then that's good for you, but fat chance you're going to get your lawyers fees back except in very rare situations. And even then you'll probably get some baseline payment of a fraction of the real costs. Lawsuits are expensive, American lawsuits doubly so.
- flatline 17y agoIANAL but I think this asymmetry came about with the DMCA. You used to have to go after people for copyright infringement through a series of somewhat expensive and formal legal proceedings; now the onus is on the defendant.
- dschobel 17y agoYou can win damages consisting of your attorney's fees but that's predicated on you being absolutely certain that the judge will see it your way and tossing out the claim as frivolous. This is never a given, especially when dealing with technology.
- pvg 17y agoTake a look at the script. Like I said in my other comment, it seems to contain Zynga IP.