Activision sues German company for selling Call of Duty cheating software News
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Activision sues German company for selling Call of Duty cheating software

Activision Publishing, the owner and publisher of the popular online multiplayer Call of Duty video game series (COD) Tuesday sued German business EngineOwning for selling malicious cheats and hacks enabling players to manipulate the COD games. It alleges that EngineOwning has made more than hundreds of thousands of US dollars from the sale and distribution of its cheating software.

In its complaint, Activision argues that EngineOwning’s cheat codes violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and 17 USC § 1201, which prohibit circumvention of copyright-protected systems:

[I]n order for the Cheating Software to operate with the COD Games, the Cheating Software necessarily includes technology that primarily is designed to avoid, bypass, evade, or otherwise circumvent Activision’s anti-cheat technologies. Accordingly, each time [EngineOwning] sell[s] a license to the Cheating Software they are trafficking in technology that controls access to the COD Games.

According to the complaint, widespread cheating disturbs the fair design and game balance of the COD Games leading to many non-cheating players quitting matches in frustration. Activision claims that cheating brings a negative media image and affects consumer confidence in the product. Resultantly, Activision has devoted significant costs and resources towards maintaining the integrity of the COD games.

The video-game publisher is also suing EngineOwning for interfering with its contractual relations with consumers by “intentionally encourag[ing] and induc[ing] users of the COD Games to purchase and use the Cheating Software, knowing that the use of these products by their customers is a breach of these customers’ contracts with Activision.”

Activision also claims the defendant is guilty of unfair competition under the California Business & Professions Code § 17200 and state common law. Last year, Riot Games and Bungie similarly sued the seller of a cheat subscription service for their respective games Valorant and Destiny 2.