Japanese developer PlayMore, which controls the copyrights on SNK's Neo-Geo hardware and software properties, has begun pursuing pirates around the globe. According to company representatives, the renewed vigilance against pirates is due to a significant rise in counterfeit copies of 'King of Fighters 2002.' After an exhaustive investigation, PlayMore recently cooperated with investigators in Taiwan and seized a significant quantity of pirated goodies from a local distributor named EAGO. PlayMore president Koichi Sotoyama estimates the company has lost more than $50 million worldwide due to copyright infringement this year and plans to pursue more pirate operations for civil damages in Asia and North America next year.

"saisyu kusanagi" schrieb:

die bootlegs, sind das auch platinen oder ist das software mäßig...hab da nich so den plan von

WORLDWIDE VIDEO EMBROILED IN NEO GEO INVESTIGATION

(posted Saturday, December 14, 2002 -- 8AM)

San Diego-based Worldwide Video Entertainment, the distributor and importer headed by Brad Brown, has found itself at the center of another industry controversy, an investigation into alleged counterfeit SNK Neo Geo cartridges. Following a visit by federal marshals as well as representatives and legal counsel for SNK Neo Geo USA to his headquarters earlier this week, Brown quickly issued a statement saying he would cooperate fully with the investigation. The marshals served Worldwide with a lawsuit and reportedly confiscated everything Neo Geo related as part of their investigation into alleged counterfeiting. “They came to look for and take everything we had with the NEO GEO SNK moniker on it,” said Brown in a written statement to customers and the trade press. “Posters, marquees, cartridges, one slots, parts, wire harnesses, etc. were also taken. Apparently SNK is having trouble in the overseas markets with counterfeit products being distributed throughout Asia. Worldwide Video is not a knowing participant in counterfeiting, nor do we condone the manufacture of counterfeiting video games. It has been alleged that one of our King of Fighters 2002 cartridges (that they acquired from a third party source with our serial number on it) was a counterfeit cartridge. They determined this by examining it under a microscope. They stated in their lawsuit this counterfeit product is extremely difficult to identify. Worldwide Video purchased a very small amount from several of our normal and reliable U.S. sources over a period of two months. None were imported from overseas markets, and none were purchased from any unknown sources to us. Therefore we were not inclined to know about this problem. We regret the problem that SNK Corporation is encountering on these games and will do everything that is asked of us in cooperating with the people from SNK. We have nothing to hide. If our suppliers sold us counterfeit Neo Geo cartridges, I am confident that they did not knowingly do so. We wish to make it clear that this problem of counterfeiting is a serious rogue to our industry, and we wish to openly state that we do not support it. We will take another closer look at the inventory we have on hand to verify its authenticity. I personally do not believe we have any counterfeits, but will proceed with more diligence as a result of this action by SNK.” Marshals reportedly visited two other undisclosed locations as well, but neither were regional or national distributors.