Game News The Witcher 2: BitTorrent Collector's Edition now only $1230

[Jason]

Tags: CD Projekt; Witcher 2, The

<p><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/drm-free-witcher-2-cashes-in-on-bittorrent-pirates-111207/" target="_blank">TorrentFreak reports</a> that some folks who may or may not have pirated <strong>The Witcher 2</strong> are receiving threatening letters from CD Projekt&rsquo;s lawyers.</p>
<blockquote>The price CD Projekt is asking through their lawyers is slightly higher than what gamers have to pay in stores, to say the least. Over the past several months thousands of alleged BitTorrent users in Germany were asked to cough up 911,80 euros ($1230) to pay off their apparent debt to the company.<br /><br />As is often the case, these mass settlement schemes do not exist without collateral damage. Aside from targeting many people who indeed downloaded and shared the game without paying, CD Projekt&rsquo;s lawyers are also wrongfully accusing people who have never even heard of the game.</blockquote>
<p>CD Projekt <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-12-15-cd-projekt-responds-to-demanding-nearly-and-8364-1000-from-alleged-pirates" target="_blank">assured Eurogamer</a>, however, that there's nothing to worry about.</p>
<blockquote>We've seen some of the concern online about our efforts to thwart piracy, and we can assure you that we only take legal actions against users who we are 100 per cent sure have downloaded our game illegally.</blockquote>
<p><br />Please insert your preferred Baghdad Bob gif here.<br /><br /><em>Thanks to hiver</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

 

[Ulminati]

Potatolanders try schemes of dubious legal nature to swindle western europeans out of their money. News at 11.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Too bad I couldn't get 10000 PLN every time my ex-father didn't pay me alimony. But hey, making a copy of a game is much worse than abandoning a child and refusing to support it.

 

[Jaesun]

I say good job CD Project.

 

[Gord]

If I understood the news right, it's not so much about paying the company (CDProject in that case), but about paying the lawyer.

You see, german law has this "nice" thing called "Abmahnung" that allows a lawyer to sent you a bill for some misdoing (like copyright stuff) without having to go to court first.
Lawyers mostly target stuff happening on the internet as it gives easy proof of your wrongdoings.
Depending on what you did, they can easily inflate the bill. Don't know how much ends up with the companies in such copyright cases.
Slowly government seems to realize that this is really an invitation for abuse, but so far not much has happened to stop it.

OTOH, if you end up in court because of it there's no guarantee that you will be better off in the end.

 

[sigma1932]

Crazy nazi lawyer law or not... almost makes me wanna go torrent Twitcher 2 just as a bird flip to CD Projekt.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Maybe I should send a bill to CD-Projekt too? Maybe with my story and drawings included? How do you think guys, would they pay? I could use some money .

 

[Mozgoëbstvo]

Ohmaifagingawd. The title. The news title.
Anyone still splitting his sides here? Best title ever.

 

[ortucis]

Crazy nazi lawyer law or not... almost makes me wanna go torrent Twitcher 2 just as a bird flip to CD Projekt.

Yeah, how dare they go after cunts pirating their hard work. Show your finger to the man. Become a douche you always wanted to be. Become a dragon.

- Dragon Age 3 plot

 

[Ion Flux]

Baby Arm has always set the standard for clever newspost titles. All newfags must pay homage to him.

 

[Mrowak]

I didn't see anyone here whining about this when Nazi were doing the same with Deus Ex: HR or Drakensang

 

[Brother None]

You see, german law has this "nice" thing called "Abmahnung" that allows a lawyer to sent you a bill for some misdoing (like copyright stuff) without having to go to court first.

A fine, yes, or a "pre-trail monetary settlement proposal" which in essence is what a fine is. That's possible in most countries in one form or another.

Not sure why you bring that up as if it makes that the lawyer's fault. CDProjekt said they'd do this before the release of the game, and they're doing it now. It's by their request.

 

[torpid]

Now it's Poles fucking with Germans

PARTITION THIS YOU BASTARDS

 

[pocahaunted]

Nazi law is a bitch.

 

[Gord]

A fine, yes, or a "pre-trail monetary settlement proposal" which in essence is what a fine is. That's possible in most countries in one form or another.

Not sure why you bring that up as if it makes that the lawyer's fault. CDProjekt said they'd do this before the release of the game, and they're doing it now. It's by their request.

All I said is that it's easily abusable:
* You cannot do much once you are fined, even if unjustified (evidence is most likely based on ip addresses and not much else).
* The price point is mostly whatever THE LAWYER thinks is reasonable, there's no court that decided how much you have to pay.
* If you insist on going to court, they will try to get you in front of one that is known to rule in their favor (i.e. usually one with bad understanding about technical formalities like how good a proof ip addresses actually are, or what you have downloaded and re-uploaded, etc.)

I can understand CDProjects motivation and don't promote piracy, but this type of fine is known for abuse in Germany.
Make of it what you will.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

I don't think I'll buy any CD-Project game again. I don't buy from child-abusing monsters.

 

[J_C]

I don't think I'll buy any CD-Project game again.

Good idea. Less sales mean they might go bankrupt. We don't need good RPG developers anyway, when we have Bioware.

Seriously, as much this move is fucked up as it is, I really don't care if they make good, DRM free games.

 

[SCO]

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

Welp, I'm not buying their games again, off of GOG or otherwise.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

I don't think I'll buy any CD-Project game again.

Good idea. Less sales mean they might go bankrupt. We don't need good RPG developers anyway, when we have Bioware.

I haven't found them particularly useful beyond the G.O.G. thing. The only thing that could redeem them would be making a Fallout-like and it's sure it's not going to happen.

 

[Dantus12]

This is great on so many levels.

The poor,poor PC noob wanted to pirate, got caught and now whines, or the worst version of the New age PC user that has His router still on admin:admin, and not even the basics around it done, the cool neighbor hacked His network, downloaded His torrents and the noob ends in court.

It's nothing short of deserved, these are the types that contributed to the decline more than console users , because the console user doesn't need to know.
But piracy is theft, however it's turned, so maybe just the intimidating aspect of it will make at least the young noobs buy their games.

 

[EG]

All I said is that it's easily abusable:
* You cannot do much once you are fined, even if unjustified (evidence is most likely based on ip addresses and not much else).
* The price point is mostly whatever THE LAWYER thinks is reasonable, there's no court that decided how much you have to pay.
* If you insist on going to court, they will try to get you in front of one that is known to rule in their favor (i.e. usually one with bad understanding about technical formalities like how good a proof ip addresses actually are, or what you have downloaded and re-uploaded, etc.)

I can understand CDProjects motivation and don't promote piracy, but this type of fine is known for abuse in Germany.
Make of it what you will.

Clearly Hitler didn't need to invade Canada to influence our laws.

Did . . . did I take this too far?

 

[bat_boro]

The most these Nazi bastards could do is fart on my dick (a national saying we have over here, means they can't do shit)

 

[Zarniwoop]

But piracy is theft,

And littering is child molestation. Yep, it's fun to make shit up. Calling one crime something else is a great passtime.

 

[Atheist]

But piracy is theft,

And littering is child molestation. Yep, it's fun to make shit up. Calling one crime something else is a great passtime.

not this shit again