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Blizzard Expects Legal Action Over StarCraft Broadcasts
According to The Korea Times, current Blizzard COO Paul Sams is expecting a dispute over tournament broadcasting rights of StarCraft footage will end in a court battle.
Two Korean cable channels are listed as the culprits – MBC Game and OnGameNet – both of which Blizzard agues don’t have the proper consent to air such footage.
“It’s unfortunate that the e-sports industry in Korea is lagging behind other industries in recognition of intellectual property rights and the basic principles related to them,” weighed in Sams. “Korea is the only region in the world where we have had to resort to litigation to protect our IP rights.”
The Korean e-Sports Players Association maintains that StarCraft and similar games are staples of gaming tournaments and as such are public domain.
“StarCraft is not a public domain offering, as Blizzard has invested significant money and resources to create the StarCraft game and the overall StarCraft universe,” countered Sams in The Korea Times.
Earlier this year, Blizzard had a falling out with the Korean e-Sports Players Association and actively began seeking out a new partner, arguing that they weren’t doing enough to recognize Blizzard’s ownership and creative rights.
[via Gamasutra]
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