- Dec 1, 2003
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http://playnoevil.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/1069-guid.html
One of the key reasons for the popularity of MMOs in Asia is their resistance to piracy.
Resistance is not immunity, however, with additional details about piracy against Legend of Mir 3 in China emerge in a story in China Daily.
The suspects are being prosecuted for violating copyright (which doesn't seem very comforting - one hopes that such services could be prosecuted for more severe crimes).
The pirated game operated between August 2004 and May 2005.
The criminals earned approximately 500,000 yuan (over $64,000 - a lot of money in China). The users were selling lifetime subscriptions for 300 yuan (a number that can be less than the monthly charge for the legitimate game)... its not like they could collect subscriptions, after all. They also made money from advertising.
The legitimate operator, Guangzhou Optisp Company, claimed losses of 10 million yuan per month (US$1.28 Million).
Apparently, the first pirate game server went online in China in 2001. Since then, the problem has grown significantly.