Is this conduct becoming of a company of CD Projekt's standing?

[PALADiN]

If they've found a method for reliably identifying pirates, it is unethical of them not to disclose that method or to employ a company claiming to have the method but keeping it under wraps for an industry that (dramatic pose here) is DYING of piracy!

I think they're keeping it secret so pirates don't figure out how to dodge the detection.

[Chris (Wolvenmoon)]

http://kotaku.com/5869908/the-wrong-...eo-game-piracy

Apparently it's because people in Germany are closely watched and thus are the lowest hanging apples on the tree.

[kaka]

http://kotaku.com/5869908/the-wrong-...eo-game-piracy

Apparently it's because people in Germany are closely watched and thus are the lowest hanging apples on the tree.

Wow very interesting article. I've got to say i'm starting to sympathize with CD Projekt. If what he is saying is true, about the people they are sending letters to are 100% guilty, then go for it BUUUT 750 Euros is still toooo much. If money isn't really a problem here then why is it so high?

[Chris (Wolvenmoon)]

I had to sleep on it before I made a decision on what I thought about what I read in that article.

The word 'petty' as officially stated by them triggered an urge in me. http://www.mycaliforniadefenselawyer...t-shoplifting/ I googled something. The fine for petty theft (which should be applied at its lowest level to video game theft). (Item <$50, maximum fine of $250 according to this Californian site).

The exorbitant fee amount can be explained via psychology and what happens during a brutal crime. The process is the same across a number of crimes - the power is taken from the victim/target - and then bad things happen that the victim can't defend themselves from. It results in trauma.

When it's controlled we call it 'punishment'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning (See the U.S. v U.K. prison systems to decide if punishment is effective.)


So, this process CD Projekt has embarked on involves the (threat of) removal of power from the thief by the court system, the fear this causes, and then the trauma that a large penalty will cause. This is an aversive under operant conditioning.

How many people are raiding food pantries over this? How many people go hungry? Without clothing? Without medical care? Without fuel? Hope they enjoy their 'petty' revenue - by their terminology. I assume by 'petty' they mean they could have lived without it? What about the people they took it from? Irresponsible, irascible behavior on their part.

That word got me. An insult to injury type thing. The people who paid up should feel spat on. Like a bully took their stuff, turned it out, laughed, and called their meager possessions 'petty'.

http://www.eff.org

[PALADiN]

Followup article from TorrentFreak saying that CDP are making bogus claims

Personally, I think TorrentFreak has hit the nail on the head with this one.

[Chris (Wolvenmoon)]

Critically read the torrentfreak article. The writer is very good at stacking CD Projekt claims up against other cases where IP based tracking failed. However, it's a fallacious argument. It's an apples to unknown-mystery-fruit comparison. All we know is that we're talking about plant matter containing seeds here, we don't know it's an apple.

I vehemently disagree with prosecution as a means to deal with piracy because it encourages usage of anonymizing tools that will make Internet law enforcement that much more difficult. I personally want my government able to intercept traffic to human trafficking/sex crime/drug trade/organized crime sites and discern who is accessing the site. However, what is happening is each time a round of lawsuits comes up, anonymizing tools that become stronger the more people that use them, tools meant to help people in oppressive regimes escape persecution by overzealous governments, are being used by petty thieves.

Litigation is like an antibiotic for an infection - using it requires a FULL COMMITMENT TO STAMPING OUT THE INFECTION - else they just breed stronger bacteria, and that is what CD Projekt is doing. They are building better thieves and that pisses me off. They're also throwing a fit over petty theft. Figure out how to get people to buy copies for the pirates - as that's what I do to (not for) my friends who pirate.


However, there are perfectly accurate ways to track a network by its IP address and saying 'proprietary system with 100% accuracy' is not a lie. Read this. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/n...alf-a-mile.ars The argument is 'someone broke in to my Network', not 'you can't track a location by its IP address'.

[udoh]

Well this is good news: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012...legal-threats/

[kaka]

omg i think i love them even more now

I cant help but think they stopped cause they thought they got enough money, i really hope that's not why they stopped

[scottr1013]

omg i think i love them even more now

I cant help but think they stopped cause they thought they got enough money, i really hope that's not why they stopped

Or because they were getting enough backlash from their 100% sure-fire method finally realizing they were full of garbage. Much like the Witcher series' dialogue.

Their 100% sure fire method is a joke much like the company.

[Chris (Wolvenmoon)]

They didn't make money doing this. It was meant to scare the market in to compliance.

The difference between a bad joke and a class act is the bad joke doesn't know when to stop and find new material, it just keeps doing the same thing over and over and ripping off other people's actions. I would agree that CD Projekt bought in to some pretty rank garbage here, but they're tossing it, and have publicly admitted that what they were doing wasn't good for the market.

I think Gabe Newell must have gotten through to them.