Other : for

Bristol Games Criminal Jailed For 15 Months

Zyuu — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:11:49 GMT

In a press release published today from the ELSPA Anti-Piracy Unit there's information about the man from Bristol (UK) that got prosecuted for copying a lot of things, such as games. The verdict was that he will spend 15 months in jail for possessing over $91,000-worth of illegally copied games, films and music.

A Bristol man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to a total of 23 offences relating to the possessing for sale of illegally copied games, films, music and pornography on recordable discs. He also requested that a further 144 offences be taken into consideration and was ordered to pay £12,000 towards prosecution costs. Gary Boulter, 51, of 15 Knapp Road, Thornbury, Bristol, appeared before Bristol Crown Court on August 26 to be sentenced for offences under the Trade Marks Act (1994) and the Video Recordings Act (1985) as a result of a prosecution brought by South Gloucestershire Trading Standards. In addition to this, a confiscation order for £10,500 was made under the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act (2002), requiring that the outstanding money be paid within six months or he would be face a further nine months in prison.

Boulter was origionally investigated by South Gloucestershire Trading Standards following a tip-off alleging that he was involved in running a copying factory from his premises. A warrant was subsequently executed in December 2005 involving Avon and Somerset Police, Trading Standards, ELSPA (the Entertainment & Leisure Publishers Association) undercover investigators and representatives of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), which revealed that Boulter had a room dedicated to copying games, film, music and pornography.

Several computers and copying equipment was seized, as well as over 2300 copied discs including PlayStation®2 and Xbox® games, feature films, music and pornographic films. In addition, nearly 500 blank DVD-R discs and 173 copied inlays were removed.

The legitimate market value of the detained games, films and music is estimated to be in excess of £50,000.

Forensic examination of his computer established that Boulter was copying in response to orders that were being regularly placed with him by friends and contacts. During interview Boulter claimed that he did the copying as a hobby and gave the discs to friends and family at no cost despite the fact that it was costing him to do so. However, evidence retrieved from his computer clearly demonstrated that he was receiving payment for his efforts.

The maximum penalty upon conviction for offences under the Trade Marks Act is an unlimited fine and/or up to 10 years imprisonment.

In passing sentence, Judge Darwall-Smith commented that Boulter’s operation was a large commercial venture and that his illegal use of trademarks debases the industries affected.

Michael Rawlinson, managing director of ELSPA, said: “ I congratulate South Gloucestershire Trading Standards and local Police for successfully shutting down Gary Boulter’s criminal operation. ELSPA would like to thank the efforts of everyone concerned in their attempts to protect legitimate local traders and remove illegal products from the marketplace.”

Neil Derrick, Senior Enforcement Officer for South Gloucestershire Trading Standards, said: “ Mr Boulter has been dealt with severely by the court and this should stand as a stern warning to others who are tempted to engage in this type of activity. He has not only lost his liberty, but now also has to pay significant sums of money in costs and under the confiscation order, as well as having all of his discs and associated equipment forfeited. He obviously had no regard for the local retailers whose businesses are badly affected by counterfeiting and he was supplying pornographic films, which are age restricted and the content of which means they should only be sold by a licensed sex shop.”

T-Entertainment Licenses UE 3 for new MMO

Zyuu — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:41:38 GMT

The Korean based game development company T-Entertainment announced today that they have licensed Epic Games Unreal Engine 3 for an upcoming MMORPG project which they've named L2. Interesting choice of name, considering that's what everyone call Lineage 2.

"L2" will be a mix of role-playing (RPG) and real-time strategy (RTS) games. They descripe it as "futuristic fantasy with a taste of space opera". "L2" is scheduled to be out in 2010 and it's being developed for PC.

According to John Hong, CTO of T-Entertainment, they have a team of seasoned professionals that are devoted to this project and they feel confident that with the help of their knowledge and the usage of Unreal Engine 3, "L2" will be a top-tier MMORPG that will captivate gamers around the world.

GC08 Dev Conference Sign Ups closing May 30

Zyuu — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:50:31 GMT

LEIPZIG, Germany - May 19, 2008

The GC Developers Conference (GCDC) today announced that the Call for Papers for this year’s conference will end on May 30th, at 11:59PM GMT. Prominent members of the games, information technology, and movie industries have the opportunity to submit speaking proposals for this year’s GC Developers Conference (August 18th-20th, 2008) until that time. GCDC is the leading international conference in Europe for game development and the business of games, and is expected to attract more than 1,000 professionals from the field this year.

The main topics of GCDC 2008 are online games, casual games, the latest server technologies, and new approaches to game design and development. The organizer, the Leipziger Messe, is accepting submissions for keynotes, presentations and workshops concerning development, business, mobile, research, and science in the games industry. Besides the focus on Europe and North America, Asia will be a larger focus this year as the show promotes global issues and solutions for the industry.

All proposals will be reviewed by the GCDC advisory board, which consists of internationally known experts and leaders from the games industry. The GCDC team will then notify speakers of their acceptance by the end of June.

Attendee Registration Now Online

Attendees can now register for the Games Convention Developers Conference online at: http://www.gcdc.eu.

GCDC 2007 Retrospective

In 2007 GCDC confirmed its status as Europe’s leading developer conference. 118 speakers gave insight on the latest trends in the video game industry, and the conference was attended by 940 visitors from more than 35 countries. Among the speakers were Bob Bates (USA, Legendary Game Designer and Writer), Julian Eggebrecht (USA, Factor 5), Tim Schafer (USA, Double Fine), Bruce Shelley (USA, Ensemble Studios), and Brian Sullivan (USA, Iron Lore Entertainment).

Bluehole Licenses Unreal Engine 3 for next-gen MMORPG

Zyuu — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:57:51 GMT

SEOUL, KOREA (March 27, 2008) – Bluehole Studio Inc. announced today that it has licensed Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 for its next-generation, flagship massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for PC, codenamed Project S1.

Founded in March 2007, Bluehole boasts an accomplished development team comprised of key members from some of the leading development and management teams in Korea.

“At Bluehole Studio, we are striving to advance the MMORPG industry by leveraging high quality graphics. Thus, we are very pleased to collaborate with Epic, because Unreal Engine 3 is the best choice for our development framework,” said Yong-hyun Park, chief technical officer of Bluehole.

“Without a doubt, Bluehole is positioned to push the envelope with Unreal Engine 3,” said Jay Wilbur, vice president of Epic. “Given Bluehole’s pedigree and its ambitious plans to reinvent MMO design and battle system mechanics, Epic is honored to provide the core development tools and infrastructure for this project.”

About Bluehole Studio

Based in Seoul and founded in 2007, Bluehole Studio is an online game developer in pursuit of the next-generation MMORPG. The company has ambitions to create a blockbuster flagship title through innovations in production processes, visual qualities, game designs and technologies. More information about the company and the game, codenamed “Project S1,” will be released from Bluehole Studio in the future.

About Unreal Engine 3

The award-winning Unreal Engine is known for cutting-edge graphics and its best-of-breed toolset. Unreal Engine 3 maintains those features while adding massive world support, multi-processor support, next-generation console optimizations, and one of the most mature tool pipelines in the industry. Unreal Engine 3's advanced toolset is designed specifically to accelerate developers' productivity for ultra-complex, next-generation content. Additional information on Unreal Engine can be obtained at http://www.unrealtechnology.com.

About Epic Games

Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, NC and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and cross-platform game engine technology. The company has created multiple million-selling, award-winning titles in its Unreal series, recently shipping Unreal Tournament 3 for PC and PlayStation 3. Epic’s breakthrough game, Gears of War, sold over 4 million copies and was awarded overall Game of the Year for 2006 by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Game Developers Choice Awards, GameSpot, GamePro and many others. Epic is also responsible for the Unreal Engine, which is the underlying technology for a wide range of games including the Game Critics Awards’ Best Console Game and Spike TV’s 2007 RPG of the Year Mass Effect by BioWare and the 2007 BAFTA Best Game and Spike TV Game of the Year BioShock by 2K Games. Epic's Unreal Engine 3 is the current holder, and three-time consecutive winner, of Game Developer magazine's Front Line award for Best Game Engine. Epic was also recognized as 2006 Studio of the Year by Spike TV, 2006 Developer of the Year by Official Xbox Magazine and 2007 Large Company of the Year by the North Carolina Technology Association. Additional information about Epic can be obtained through the Epic Games Web site at http://www.epicgames.com.

Epic, Epic Games, Unreal, Unreal Tournament and Gears of War are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.