Silicon Knights i problemer

Silicon Knights, udvikleren bag bl.a. Too Human, befinder sig i en mørk tid. Studiet har været i slagsmål med Epic Games i længere tid over brugen af Unreal Engine. Retssagen er langt fra overstået, men nu er der sket en udvikling i sagen. Silicon Knights har fået ordre på at ødelægge alle spilkoder baseret på Unreal Engine men mere end det: De skal ligeledes indstille alt udvikling af fremtidige spil, der kører på Unreal Engine, samt tilbagekalde alle Unreal-baserede spil, som ikke er blevet solgt. Silicon Knights fik ydermere ordre på at betale Epic Games den nette sum af $4.45 millioner, men det beløb er nu fordoblet til hele $9 millioner.

Epic Games' reaktion er ganske forståelig: "Epic Games appreciates the court's careful consideration of the motions and is gratified by the order." Silicon Knights anklagede Epic Games for bl.a. ikke at leve op til serviceaftalen, da Silicon Knights købte rettigheden til at bruge Unreal Engine, hvilket førte til forhøjede omkostninger for Silicon Knights ved udviklingen af Too Human. Sagen fortsætter nu, men det ser sort ud for Silicon Knights.


English version:

Silicon Knights, the developer behind Too Human, is in a tight spot. The studio has been in a dog fight with Epic Games for a long time over the use of the Unreal Engine. The case is far from over but there has been a development in the matter. Silicon Knights has been ordered to destroy all game codes based on the Unreal Engine but more than that: they must also cease all future developments using the engine and recall and destroy every unsold game using it. Silicon Knights was also ordered to pay Epic Games a sum of $4.45 million but that amount has been doubled to a staggering $9 million.

Epic Games' reaction is quite understandable: "Epic Games appreciates the court's careful consideration of the motions and is gratified by the order.". Silicon Knights claimed that Epic Games didn't meet their end of the agreement when they purchased the right to use the Unreal Engine which lead to a more expensive development of Too Human. The case will continue but it doesn't look good for Silicon Knights.

Epic Games vinder retssag

Epic Games har en række nævneværdige succeser under bæltet, navnlig Gears of War og ikke mindst Unreal Engine 3, men det er imidlertid ikke alt hos Epic Games, der har været omgivet af positiv energi. Tilbage i 2007 blev de såmænd sagsøgt af spiludvikleren, Silicon Knights, som senest er kendt for blandt andet X-Men: Destiny og Too Human.

Silicon Knights sagsøgte Epic Games under påstanden om, at Epic Games leverede en fejlfyldt Unreal Engine 3 til udviklingen af Too Human, og at Epic Games skulle have brugt licensgebyrerne til at skabe og finpudse sin egen franchise, Gears of War, og ikke til at vedligeholde motoren. Nu har en jury omsider hamret den endelige dom fast: Epic Games vinder retssagen og får nu $4.45 millioner i erstatning. "We are delighted with the jury's verdict and all of the hard work done by the Hunton & Williams legal team." siger en glad Jay Andrews fra Epic Games, nu da det endelig er forbi. Her ønsker vi blot Epic Games tillykke med sejren, og vi håber på at se mere Gears of War!


English version:

Epic Games has had notable success during the last couple of years with their Gears of War and Unreal Engine 3, but it's not everything at Epic Games that has been of a positive nature. The developers at Silicon Knights, most known for X-Men: Destiny and Too Human, actually filed a lawsuit against Epic Games back in 2007.

Silicon Knights claimed that Epic Games delivered a faulty engine when Too Human was being developed, and that Epic Games spent licensee fees to create their own franchise, Gears of War, and not on maintaining their engine. A jury has finally put the hammer down on this matter: Epic Games wins the trial and is awarded with $4.45 million. "We are delighted with the jury's verdict and all of the hard work done by the Hunton & Williams legal team," says a happy Jay Andrews from Epic Games now that it's over. We, here at Game Wardens, give our congratulations to Epic Games, and we hope to see more of Gears of War!

Xbox360 skal bandlyses

I al fald i Tyskland. Sådan lyder budskabet fra en tysk domstol i Mannheim, som i onsdags beordrede Microsoft til at fjerne sine produkter, herunder Xbox360 og Windows 7, fra de tyske butikshylder. Microsoft giver imidlertid ikke op og har naturligvis appelleret sagen, hvor de i mellemtiden fortsat kan sælge sine produkter uhindret. Men hvad i alverden?

Det viser sig, at Tyskland lægger hus til endnu en verdenskonflikt, men denne gang bruger man ikke rifler og skyttegrave: Dette er såmænd patentkrigen, og her bruger man pen og papir. Alle sagsøger hinanden for tiden over patenter, og Motorola har altså sagsøgt Microsoft (og fået medhold) for brug af specifikt software i forbindelse med videoer, som Microsoft bruger i blandt andet Xbox360. Sagen kører nu videre, og det bliver interessant at se, om Microsoft må vinke farvel til det tyske marked.

English version:

Xbox360 will be banned. At least in Germany. That is the message from a German court which ordered Microsoft to remove its popular console and Windows 7-products from the country's store shelves. Microsoft, naturally, appealed the case and while the case is still active they'll be able to continue selling products. But what the?

It seems that Germany is host to yet another global conflict but this time the fight will not be fought with rifles in trenches: it's a war of patents and is fought with pen and paper. It seems that everyone is suing everyone else regarding patents, and this time it's Motorola who is suing Microsoft for using a specific software to compress videos in their Xbox360 and some Windows 7 products. The case is still ongoing thanks to the appeal but it'll be very interesting to see if the Xbox360 actually will be banned in Germany.