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PlayStation (Games)

Tecmo Wins Naked Kasumi Case 47

An anonymous reader writes "The Japanese supreme court has upheld a ruling that software company West Side's 'naked Kasumi hack' for the PS2 version of Dead Or Alive 2 violates Tecmo's copyrights. West Side has been ordered to pay around 2 million yen in damages."
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Tecmo Wins Naked Kasumi Case

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  • by qqtortqq ( 521284 ) <mark@dood[ ]n.org ['ema' in gap]> on Sunday October 03, 2004 @01:06PM (#10420978)
    Thats what, $10 american?
  • by gasaraki ( 262206 ) on Sunday October 03, 2004 @01:12PM (#10421015)
    Link to patch?
  • Copyrights (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Taulin ( 569009 ) on Sunday October 03, 2004 @01:14PM (#10421028) Homepage Journal
    Basically, anything that changes the original form of a 'piece' is considered violation of copyright. I have even read a case where a school dressed up a statue and the artist sued the school and won. That being said, I need to figure out where to get this hack.
    • Gameshark (Score:4, Interesting)

      by RotJ ( 771744 ) on Sunday October 03, 2004 @01:21PM (#10421076) Journal
      Does this ruling mean that everybody's now free to sue Gameshark for violating their copyrights?
      • Re:Gameshark (Score:3, Interesting)

        by WiredOni ( 593210 )
        Not in the US, since game genie [wikipedia.org] and similar cheat devices have been ruled legal.

        Don't have any clue about how this will affect Japan, since these cheat devices do have other purposes then making characters nude. Hopefully the ruling won't go too far as to ban or severely limit such devices.
    • This ruling is over a hacked/changed version. Gameshark manipulates the game, but is not changing the game's data itself. In my interpretation, placing hats on statues and changing files is manipulating the object. Gameshark is more like wearing rose tinted glasses.
    • Basically, anything that changes the original form of a 'piece' is considered violation of copyright. I have even read a case where a school dressed up a statue and the artist sued the school and won.

      What about all those DJs that mix different songs together and call it their own original creation? Would they be liable in the same way?

      What about people who do photomanips? Are they at risk to be sued over copyright infringment?
      • What about all those DJs that mix different songs together and call it their own original creation? Would they be liable in the same way?

        I guess you haven't been paying attention reciently! A federal judge in cincinnati ruled that sampling (which is what you are refering to) is illegal and violates copyright law First Link from Google News about the story [chron.com]
  • Screenshots (Score:5, Informative)

    by RotJ ( 771744 ) on Sunday October 03, 2004 @01:16PM (#10421045) Journal
    The first thing any mentally balanced /.er would do if they've never heard about this hack before, is to search for screenshots. To save you the trouble, click here [dazereader.com] and scroll towards the bottom. It's basically the same as the Sims blur removing nudity hack: Barbie doll anatomy whoopdeedoo. Bloodrayne 2 will probably have a naked mode built in.
  • Worth ¥2 Million? (Score:5, Informative)

    by Bloodmoon1 ( 604793 ) <`moc.liamg' `ta' `noirepyh.eb'> on Sunday October 03, 2004 @01:43PM (#10421233) Homepage Journal
    Not exactly work/school safe, but here's what's apparently worth ¥2 million. [mangazz.host.sk]
    • Who knew? Tina is a bleach blond.
    • Not exactly work/school safe, but here's what's apparently worth ¥2 million.

      Actually, those shots are from DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball, for the Xbox. The lawsuit was about the PS2 version of DOA 2. Also, IIRC, all they did was alter the memory card data a bit to tell the game to mess with the costume system a bit. If you've ever played DOA games, they all feature changeable costumes for the characters (some as unlockable bonuses). I think that the change in the memory card data just unlocked somethin
  • by Inoshiro ( 71693 ) on Sunday October 03, 2004 @02:06PM (#10421390) Homepage
    http://www.gamepro.com/gamepro/international/games /news/26063.shtml

    And I quote (posted 9th of March, 2002):
    "The case, which pitted Tecmo against Japanese software company Westside, involved a tool included in one of Westside's CDs that let users hack up their DOA2 save games to alter the characters' clothing."

    This was just the appeal.
  • parody law? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by lawngnome ( 573912 )
    Is there not a parody law in japan? I understand that certain factors determine if it is infact a parody, such as booble.com using googles trademark to make money in a deceptive way.
    • by (SM) Spacemonkey ( 812689 ) on Sunday October 03, 2004 @02:30PM (#10421531)
      I am thinking we define Parody differently. Parody is for comic effect. Laughing is the last thing on my mind when I see naked women, though it appears to be the first thing on their mind when they see naked me.
      • Even though it doesn't fall under parody, how is this a violation of copyright? If they actually made the models themselves (and from the poor quality of the DOA2 models, that's pretty possible), then they haven't copied anything. the textures are most definitely original. If you could make it so that you (a) have your own model and textures, and (b) copy the facial data from the user's own CD/DVD, I think you could easily win this case.
  • by dacarr ( 562277 ) on Sunday October 03, 2004 @03:29PM (#10421968) Homepage Journal
    The idea of seeing Kasumi Tendo [northarc.com] naked just kind of seems incredibly wrong.

    Of course, that's just me.

  • by Anonymous Coward
    There is more to it then just beeing pissed of about an unauthorised modification. The age rating is based on the fact that no actual nudity is in the game, there is always the danger of the game beeing reclassified as AO (Adult Only). That would be the death of the sales for the game, no major chain is going to stock it, and they can only advertise in "specialist" magazines.

    The new Leisure Suit Larry game (as crap as it is, let all the people who worked on it suffer a painful death) went through a few hoo
    • Um, with that logic every game would have to be rated AO because there's nothing stopping someone from drawing pictures of naked people and gluing it to the game's dvd/gamecube disc sleeve. Look at "Animal Crossing" or any other game where you enter in input (though "Animal Crossing" happens to try to prevent you from using various "naughty" words like bitch). All Tecmo would have to do is not pro-advertise the feature and write how they were upset/offended/concerned with what the other company did. The
  • "Dignity?" (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 03, 2004 @05:42PM (#10422738)
    Don't know the accuracy of the write up, but you have got to love the line "Tecmo finally has the promise of reparations for what it has always viewed as a violation of Kasumi's dignity" if it is true.

    Come on Tecmo, the game is built around the fan service and you know it. Some people might differ, but I say the main reason that the game sells is the bouncing breasts and skimpy clothing. Without the fan service the game itself probably wouldn't have lasted as long as it has.

    So are you going to go after fan artists now? Start making arrests of groups at Doujin conventions? There are also games involving your characters in sexual situations. Doesn't sound like you are doing much to protect the "dignity" of your IP, can't someone think of poor Itagaki's children! All he did was give them big bouncing boobies and put them in semi-revealing costumes, but he is a decent man protective of his daughters and would never have them appear in the nude!

    Anyway, here is hoping people make some great hacks for DOA: UE or what ever it is called. Tecmo's legal threats *really* put a stop to all those DOA:BV hacks. Maybe they should just give up and do the porn game that they really want to make, then people wouldn't feel the need to do these hacks.
  • Weird (Score:5, Insightful)

    by bobstevens_took_my_n ( 799815 ) on Sunday October 03, 2004 @09:11PM (#10423778)
    This was just a Gameshark mod of the PS2 version of DOA2 that has been around *forever*. Some models were still on the disk from being used in cinematics (including a non-explicitly nude Kasumi for the intro cinematic). Some people found a Gameshark code that would let you use some of these models in-game.

    I guess this Japanese company just repackaged the game with the Gameshark hack builtin and started selling it. Clearly illegal by any stretch of anyone's imagination, and not too bright on the part of consumers either, when they could have gotten the same thing by buying an official copy and a Gameshark.

  • I would like to win a naked Kasumi case!

    Let's think, what would I put in it...

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