A court found Ironmace did not infringe on Nexon’s copyrights, but did illegally utilize trade secrets from the publisher.
It looks like the legal matters between Dark and Darker developers Ironmace and publisher Nexon have reached a hefty outcome. Ironmace was original sued by Nexon for infringing on its copyrights and trade secrets with use of materials in Dark and Darker. While Ironmace was able to argue away the copyright infringement, courts ruled in Nexon’s favor that Ironmace had infringed on trade secrets. Because of that, Ironmace is ordered to pay around $6 million to Nexon.
The outcome of Nexon and Ironmace’s court case were posted this week on Korea Times. According to reports, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that Ironmace did not break copyright laws, writing in its decision that Ironmace “copying, distributing, renting or broadcasting the game does not constitute an infringement on Nexon’s copyright on project P3.” Unfortunately, the court also ruled that Ironmace knowingly utilized trade secrets in the development of Dark and Darker, for which it is required to pay the amount of 8.5 million won (around $5.87 million) to cover damages to the Nexon company.
Source: Ironmace
It’s been a long legal battle between Nexon and Ironmace that has seen notable activity such as police raiding Ironmace’s studios for Nexon’s code, and Dark and Darker being temporarily delisted from Steam, during which Ironmace defiantly posted the game on BitTorrent. Despite issues with Nexon, Ironmace has said it respects the court’s judgement and will comply. Nexon, on the other hand, plans to take the matter to a higher court to continue to pursue its copyright infringement claims.
“The court’s full recognition of the 8.5 billion won damage claim is meaningful, as it addresses illegal infringement actions that disrupt fair market competition,” Nexon said. “After carefully reviewing the ruling, we plan to seek further legal judgment through a higher court.”
It’s likely to continue to be a long legal battle between Nexon and Ironmace, and this latest activity marks a notable legal blow to Ironmace. As we watch for what comes next, stay tuned to the Ironmace topic for further updates.
