March 14, 2008
The video game industry has long complained that China is a nation where copyrights don't mean much.But in what would appear to be a new low, the Chinese government's official website for the upcoming Beijing Summer Olympics seems to feature online games lifted from Western creators.
As reported by Ars Technica, the IP theft was outed when developer Cadin Batrack scanned the Online Games section of the Chinese site and noticed what appeared to be an altered version of one of his designs:
According to Batrack, the Olympics' game, Fuwa Fight the Winter Clouds, looks like someone downloaded and decompiled the SWF file from his site, swapped out some of the graphics, and then published it as their own game. Since this information was unveiled, Fuwa Fight the Winter Clouds has been removed, but it appears as if a couple of other games might also be copies.
Ironically, as Ars Technica reports:
The Beijing Olympic Committee have a stern warning on its site to deter anyone from stealing any of the IP posted therein (with fines up to $7,000 or five times the "illegal income" generated by the theft), but the site was developed by Sohu. Sohu is currently being sued for allegedly promoting online piracy (by providing links to illegal file-sharing web sites)...
Comments
China is an example where there are almost NO IP laws whatsoever.
These countries are examples of the extremes of both arguments regarding copyright law.
America will sue your ass of if you supposedly "steal their work", even if you didn't know it and China will blatantly rip you off and there's nothing you can do about it.
Can't we at least prosecute them in the name of good taste? Their ripoff versions are fugly
Prosecuting them won't really do anything. It's better to simply ask to remove the infringements and nothing more.
Which is Economic suicide..
China gets the Olympics: human rights get the shaft.
(complete with tianamen square tanks donning olympic flags).
Why do we still give thme the olympics.
They had the best bribes for the Olympic Officials, of course.
"Air pollution levels on an average day in Beijing are nearly five times above World Health Organization standards for safety. China's extremely inefficient use of coal - the country's main source of energy - results in much of the pollution. Despite promises to stage a green 2008 Summer Olympics, Bejing has had persistent air pollution - thus city officials are planning to reduce its motor traffic by half during the Games to improve air quality. In February 2008, the Chinese government announced that it would close 144 gas stations in Beijing, which amounts to about 10% of such stations in the city, to improve air quality in preparation for the Olympics."
See above comment about bribes.
You should have seen the cars they "designed". 90% are "inspired" by luxury brand.
@ Ken
It's already happened."
http://www.dannychoo.com/detail/mac/eng/image/1158/Olympic+Haruhi.html
Dang...i am hoping that Tibet gets its wish, but i know it won't be any time soon
Anyways, we all know China says to hell with copyright...
It didn't really work out for them; even now, 18 years later, Russia feels the economic and social (see: Old people begging in the street) shock waves of the rather disastrous fall of the USSR.
Notice: I've visited the run-down tower blocks of Russian industrial cities and the hutongs of China; but I am not an economist!
I am sorry unless they found the orginail code in a game its nothing more than" gee we can make a game like this"..... next you will say you can CP common sense or a thought...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd1YIbO34Ns
@BlackIce
CHINA's economy will be fine (the Olympics will be there, remember). All the little people getting no money for the food they could barely afford to begin with will suffer, but if China cared about them...well, just look at their history books and what little information gets out about life there now.
China doesn't care. It's got millions more where those destitute people came from, and it will just work the survivors harder, or compensate them less (if that's possible; I'm not sure it is) to make up for any losses. Or more likely, it will subcontract to even cheaper construction locales with even fewer (again, not sure it's possible) health or standards enforcement.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOHOOOOO
You're such a fucking hypocrite!
Decades later the nation created some of the leading brand on electronic, cars and technology fronts. They also produce a culture that subdue a large number of children and adults all over the world.
As well as hosted the Olympics on 1964.
That nation is Japan.
Given enough time, China will grow up very well.
People aren't cutting them enough slack this time around, compare to post-WWII Japan.
Mike