CDPR claims 100% accuracy in identifying pirates, demands money from thousands

[andr01d]

Why all the hate towards CDPR?
I can understand their point of view. It's like: "We've been doing so much to please our customers. To show how much our work is worth its price." And those damn pirates are just like: "Well, F U! Imma pirate your game anyways!"
So now CDPR is all like: "Well, F U then! We gonna sue you." - And I can fully understand that point of view.

And I think it's not the hardcore haxxor pirates, who know how to protect their IP 'n' shit, who are the main problem but those pc noobs who only get those games pirated because, even if they don't know how to properly install an anti virus software, they still know how to access torrents or megaupload.
The real pirates, those who know their business, will do it anyway. But those who only download cracked copies because it's cheaper or more convenient. Well they should get persecuted to make them think twice.

About those who get falsely persecuted because someone used their wifi or wlan. - Well here in Germany you get sued when you own a gun and don't lock it away to keep others from using it. So though I think it's a little wrong to accuse those idiots who don't secure their wlan or wifi (or at least try to find out who is using their line and sue him) of pirating the game, they should at least be persecuted for enabling others to do so.

About the amount of money sued. - Well the game is out for 10 months now. So if you double the games price (50 €) every month you get 1000 €. - So in my opinion the fine is acceptable. Because you may also keep in mind, that many who downloaded the game illegally then sold it (or just gave it) to their friends.

So once again: Why all the hate against CDPR who only pursue their legal rights? Why aren't you hating those pirates who have stolen the game from CDPR?
(Yes, breaking copyrights can be regarded as theft in Germany. They can be persecuted for using CDPR's software (regarded as a service) without paying for it - which regarding to legal terms is the same as theft in Germany.)

 

[chlong7]

I do some work for a library, and the circulation staff have multiple patrons who run up fines of $500-$1000 on overdue and "lost" books. Some people get the message after one giant bill, but there are also repeat offenders, so I doubt that an actual games pirate would be deterred by $150-250. At the low end, that's a collector's edition of a game, and at the high end, it's a new console. 900 euros, on the other hand, would build a nice pc, so even though it won't deter every pirate, it will at least make a few people reconsider the next time they're tempted to download a torrent.

 

[eskiMoe]

Why all the hate towards CDPR?
I can understand their point of view. It's like: "We've been doing so much to please our customers. To show how much our work is worth its price." And those damn pirates are just like: "Well, F U! Imma pirate your game anyways!"
So now CDPR is all like: "Well, F U then! We gonna sue you." - And I can fully understand that point of view.

Well I at least hope that they drop the charges if those people who pirated the game and later bought it (before they got the letters from the lawyers) & can prove it.

 

[gregski]

I also think that the amount of 900 EUR is rather fair. It's not only that the pirate took a 60$ worth game, but he also uploaded/seeded it to a number of people, so that 60$ multiply.

 

[Aver]

Remember that from this 900 EUR they have to pay their lawyers and company that tracked pirates. I bet that CDPR gets around 450 EUR.

 

[dmcaldw]

Really would everyone rather have their local police department or government police handle piracy ? There are to many instances where this approach goes very bad .

This may not be a full proof way of catching pirates but the alternative could be much worse . I imagine also that some of the people getting caught are not the smartest in the bunch i.e. uploading arena scores .


Honestly what they should be allowed to do is leave the download up plant it with a virus that destroys your computer or at the very least hacks into the violators computer to verify the theft .

There is no easy solution I don't envy the task . I respect CDPR more for following through with what they said they were going to do . It is apparently an unpopular stance give them credit for taking it regardless of the outcome . If there are better solutions out there lets here them from some of the bright minds on the forum because saying it is not right doesn't solve anything unless you can come up with a better solution as well.

 

[mrowakus]

Really would everyone rather have their local police department or government police handle piracy ? There are to many instances where this approach goes very bad .

This may not be a full proof way of catching pirates but the alternative could be much worse . I imagine also that some of the people getting caught are not the smartest in the bunch i.e. uploading arena scores .


Honestly what they should be allowed to do is leave the download up plant it with a virus that destroys your computer or at the very least hacks into the violators computer to verify the theft .

There is no easy solution I don't envy the task . I respect CDPR more for following through with what they said they were going to do . It is apparently an unpopular stance give them credit for taking it regardless of the outcome . If there are better solutions out there lets here them from some of the bright minds on the forum because saying it is not right doesn't solve anything unless you can come up with a better solution as well.

I support those wise words. :salute:

CDP Red has every right to protect their IP. They have right to fine the wrongdoers if the state law permits it.

However, that fact remains that this little gimmick will not improve their reputation. It's the other way round. Again, when legitimate consumers are voicing their concern over the method used (employing a law leech firm) you are doing it wrong.

As I said before some of the people I know - hardened pirates - bought the TW2 because they liked the approach CDP came out with - free DLC, whole box full of goodies, no DRM. After all those years of scamming gaming community on every corner (paid DLC cut away from original game - Mafia 2; or Collector's Edition being less of what standard edition used to be [compare Dragon Age 2 CE with TW2 Standard], bad ports of console games to PC [GTA4]) it seemed reasonable to voice their support. CDP Red reached them - I witnessed that. In this may they gained new clients - maybe 200 000, maybe more.

It's hard to believe now that the self same people won't feel threatened now - and they do, and they are. It feels like unbelieveable amount of work has been wasted just with this news. In effect CDP may lose clients instead of gaining them.

So while again CDP Red folks are justified to do what they did, I can't help but see their move as unwise. They won't get any more customers that way... only enemies.

Btw, did you notice how no one in the news mentiones that Deus Ex: HR and Drakensang got the same lawfirm treatment? :conspiracy:

 

[Garrison72]

I also think that the amount of 900 EUR is rather fair. It's not only that the pirate took a 60$ worth game, but he also uploaded/seeded it to a number of people, so that 60$ multiply.

Fair? I'd get charged less for a speeding ticket and that's technically endangering someone's life. It's not fair at all, it's bullshit. $1,200 for $40 game?

 

[Aver]

Fair? I'd get charged less for a speeding ticket and that's technically endangering someone's life. It's not fair at all, it's bullshit. $1,200 for $40 game?

If you would stole your neighbor's car you would go to jail even tho you didn't endanger someone's life. Punishment must be always way more expensive than profits for thief.

 

[Garrison72]

Given all the technical hassles this game has I'm wondering if pirated copies aren't easier to deal with. This certainly isn't uncommon. Just look at what DRM for TW2 did at release: It caused a ton of problems FOR PEOPLE THAT HAD BOUGHT THE GAME. Surely CDPR must realize one of the reasons people pirate games is that pirated copies are less of a hassle than legal copies. There is no lack of technical hassles with TW2. In fact, it's ongoing with each new patch.

 

[GuyNwah]

Threads like this really defeat the purpose of the forum, because whether or not members mean to, y'all are giving aid and comfort to pirates and hurting CDPR by spreading FUD.

Claims that this method of defending its intellectual property rights are hurting CDPR are silly, because the people who are directly affected are pirates, and they are not CDPR's customers anyway. The only customers who are affected are those who believe the absurd claims that CDPR is being high-handed or dishonest, and those who believe the FUD that CDPR would go after innocent users in this manner.

 

[abstractdream]

Given all the technical hassles this game has I'm wondering if pirated copies aren't easier to deal with.

You think pirated copies of games are DRM and bug free?

Surely CDPR must realize one of the reasons people pirate games is that pirated copies are less of a hassle than legal copies.

If you consider not paying for the game as "less of a hassle", then I agree.

There is no lack of technical hassles with TW2. In fact, it's ongoing with each new patch.

Irrelevant.

Come on slimgrin, you're gonna have to do better than that.

 

[tommy5761]

All right fellas let`s turn it back a notch . Starting to get on very thin ice!

 

[Garrison72]

You think pirated copies of games are DRM and bug free?


If you consider not paying for the game as "less of a hassle", then I agree.

Irrelevant.

Come on slimgrin, you're gonna have to do better than that.

All I know is I still can't get the game to work on a regular basis and I didn't pirate shit. Any other GoG game I can delete and download at will, no problems at all. TW2 is a major fucking hassle each time, and the only reason I'm doing it is cause of their patches.

Who picks up the pieces? The mods. CDPR is too busy porting the funbox version. They have no official tech support that I know of.

 

[tommy5761]

All I know is I still can't get the game to work on a regular basis and I didn't pirate shit. Any other GoG game I can delete and download at will, no problems at all. TW2 is a major fucking hassle each time, and the only reason I'm doing it is cause of their patches.

Who picks up the pieces? The mods. CDPR is too busy porting the funbox version. They have no official tech support that I know of.

http://en.thewitcher.com/support/ scroll to the bottom of the page , fill out the small questionaire and send .

 

[blubeetle]

You know what's funny? This is what I call "debate for debate's sake". It would be a lot more productive to all parties if CDPR himself could be here and provide some answers, or even resoluteness/stand to avoid further bickering. This IS their forum and website, after all. I would even consider it their moral obligation to do so (regardless of the software TOS). Most especially and relevant to their loyal fans (read: buyers).

 

[Garrison72]

http://en.thewitcher.com/support/ scroll to the bottom of the page , fill out the small questionaire and send .

I'll do that. Still doesn't change the fact my legal copy has cost me numerous hrs of my own time, and CDPR still doesn't have an official tech team.

 

[tommy5761]

I'll do that. Still doesn't change the fact my legal copy has cost me numerous hrs of my own time, and CDPR still doesn't have an official tech team.

I understand your frustration , i really do and do my utmost to solve as many problems as possible or commit to memory the resolutions to the most troublesome problems . But this is not the thread for this issue . Go ahead and send in the form and then if you want go to the thread in tech and we`ll pick up further there .

 

[panlauf]

Piracy discussion is for gamers like politics and religion to general people.

What is cool, but people lose their reason fast and fall to a biased debate really fast.

 

[227]

Movie companies are asking for a lot more if they catch you pirating their movies. (that's 3-10 euros per ticket and two hours of entertainment) I have mixed feelings about this whole thing, but I don't think 900 euros is an unreasonable fine. :/

This is true and I think everyone needs to recognize that the fine is less than a lot of companies go for. That being said, part of the outrage isn't necessarily that the fine is so high compared to what other companies ask for, but that a lot of us thought better of CDPR than asking for large sums in the first place. At a certain point it's necessary because the cost of such a campaign is historically high, but at the same time that Kotaku article makes it sound like it's a set fine which only punishes those who don't make much. The fine should be dependent on income in order to send the same message to everyone, in my opinion.

Also, is the picture for that Kotaku article Geralt with a Judge Dredd-ized head? That's awesome, and so freaky.

Threads like this really defeat the purpose of the forum, because whether or not members mean to, y'all are giving aid and comfort to pirates and hurting CDPR by spreading FUD.

Claims that this method of defending its intellectual property rights are hurting CDPR are silly, because the people who are directly affected are pirates, and they are not CDPR's customers anyway.

Look, I really respect you on these forums, but I've yet to see you back up either of those claims. That's like saying removing DRM provided aid and comfort to pirates, even though the actual piracy rate seems to be lower than most games where piracy statistics are reported (though I'll admit that the numbers game companies release are usually incredibly shaky). A lot of us users have experiences where people we know did go from pirating to being paying customers because of it, so it's not accurate to make blanket statements like "they are not CDPR's customers." They're potential customers, but that's not even the most important point I've (personally) been trying to make. Like I said on the first few pages, this is incredibly bad for image and that's something that affects even the legitimate user base. I'm not sure why you're ignoring this when there are plenty of irate legitimate users even here in this thread. For what it's worth, if this method of copyright enforcement wasn't so unpopular and didn't have a history of not being 100% accurate, a lot of us would probably be on CDPR's side. We all agree that they have the right to protect their property, but doing so at the cost of their image (which is something they've obviously spent a lot of effort building up) seems like a bad idea to a lot of us.

It would be a lot more productive to all parties if CDPR himself could be here and provide some answers, or even resoluteness/stand to avoid further bickering.

Exactly. I'm hoping they jump in and start answering questions, because that would probably be the best move from a PR perspective.