Blizzard has won a copyright infringement case against Bossland, the creator of cheating software for several games including Overwatch and World of Warcraft.
Blizzard has been very strict when it comes to cheating on its games, especially after last year's release of Overwatch, its latest gem. The victory against Bossland, along with the millions of dollars in damages that it has been ordered to pay, should serve as a warning against cheaters that Blizzard is taking the fight against the problem seriously.
Bossland Ordered By Court To Pay $8.6 Million
The California District Court hearing the case lodged against Germany-based Bossland granted statutory copyright damages that Blizzard requested for a total of 42,818 violations, which all add up to $8,563,600. Bossland has also been ordered to pay the attorneys' fees of Blizzard, which amount to $174,872.
Bossland decided not to represent itself in court, which made it an easy win for Blizzard. In addition to the ordered damages, the cheat maker is banned from selling software which exploit the games of Blizzard in the United States.
Zwetan Letschew, the CEO of Bossland, said that the company will continue the legal battle against Blizzard even after a default judgment was issued. Bossland will likely push through with its plan to try to get out of the millions of dollars that it now owes to Blizzard.
How Bossland will proceed, however, remains unclear, given the fact that the company did not even defend itself in the recently concluded hearings.
Bossland's Cheating Software
Bossland is the company behind Watchover Tyrant for Overwatch and Honor Buddy for World of Warcraft. It also developed cheating software for Diablo 3, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm.
The court agreed that the cheating software developed by Bossland bypassed Warden, the cheat protection technology implemented by Blizzard. Bossland reverse engineered Blizzard games to provide users access to modified versions, and in the process, violated the DMCA and infringed the copyrights held by Blizzard.
In addition to Bossland rendering the anti-cheat technology of Blizzard ineffective, players who use the cheating software ruin the experience for legitimate gamers, which could lead to some players losing interest in the game and causing further damage to Blizzard's business.
The War Between Blizzard And Bossland
The battle may have been won by Blizzard, but this does not mean that its war against Bossland is over, especially as the cheat maker's software is available in territories outside the United States. While players in the United States should see less cheaters on Blizzard's games, players in other countries are still exposed to the cheating tools offered by Bossland.
Blizzard and Bossland have been locked in a legal feud for years, with Blizzard filing the lawsuit on this case that it won against Bossland in July 2016.
"If the cheats work then they fundamentally break the gameplay mechanics as it's impossible to balance these types of game as a consequence," said IHS Technology analyst Piers Harding-Rolls, adding that cheats spoil both casual and competitive games of titles such as Overwatch for legitimate players.
Blizzard is looking to protect its intellectual property and the gaming experience of its customers, with the company likely to continue its was against Bossland until the cheat maker is entirely off the grid.
