Koei Wins Taiwanese Piracy Battle

Japanese newspaper Nikkei Business Express has reported that Japanese publisher and developer Koei has successfully sued Beijing-based PolyStar Digital for selling pirated copies of its PC title San Goku Shi IX (aka Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX) in Taiwan. The Beijing court awarded undisclosed damages to Koei and ordered PolyStar Digital to print a public apology in the English language edition of the China Daily and Legal Daily. Lawyers from Koei successfully proved that PolyStar Digital was illegally duplicating and distributing a Taiwanese edition of the game and selling it in ordinary game stores for 128 yuan ($13) – expensive for ordinary pirated titles. The judgement is seen as an important victory in the battle against piracy in many Asian areas, which is preventing publishers taking full advantage of the country’s vast population of potential gamers. Previously, companies looking for success in the Taiwanese or Chinese market have circumvented the problem only via PC online titles, which can't be pirated as easily due to authentication/server checks, and specially modified consoles such as the Nintendo iQue.