Square Enix Sues Over Deus Ex: HR Leak

By Kevin Parrish
published

Square Enix wants permission from the court to issue a subpoena for information from Valve in regards to a leaked preview build of Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Poor Valve. The company has found itself in the middle of a lawsuit filed by Square Enix against several unknown defendants who allegedly gained access to a preview build of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and then set it loose in the torrent channels. Because the preview build was hosted on Steam, Square Enix wants the information to the related review account. Valve is refusing to cough up any details without a court-ordered subpoena.

According to a complaint obtained by Gamasutra, Square Enix arranged limited access to a preview build of the upcoming Deus Ex game for certain members of the press. The preview build was accessible through Steam, and required users to sign a non-disclosure agreement. One of these press members was with the Italian gaming magazine Giochi per il Mio Computer (GMC).

Shortly after the reviewers began accessing the code, Square Enix discovered a copy floating along the BitTorrent channels. The company download the game and examined its code only to discover "anomalies" that pointed to the GMC reviewer's Steam account. The problem was that the IP address of the reviewer's computer at GMC's offices did not match the IP address of the computer that accessed the code during the session in question.

Valve retrieved the code from Square Enix and validated the findings, reporting that the computer used to access the game preview code did not match the computer used by the authorized GMC journalist. This indicates that the account was likely accessed by an unauthorized user, and the journalist was probably unaware of the leak.

Here's the kicker: Valve said that it has more information about the "hacked" account and the hardware ID number, but its current privacy policy prevents it from releasing the information to Square Enix... unless Valve receives a subpoena. Unable to resist the challenge and the secrets Valve holds, Square Enix is now currently seeking out that subpoena to retrieve information that could possibly identify the defendants.

The complaint claims that 15 "doe Defendants" used an Italian internet service provider to illegitimately obtain and distribute the preview code. The defendants are accused of copyright infringement and violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Square Enix is claiming damages in excess of $5,000.

Kevin Parrish
17 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Darkerson
    Im surprised everything doesnt get leaked nowadays.
    Reply
  • klavis
    I'm glad to see that Valve is sticking to it's principles and requiring a court order. I'm glad to see Squire Enix is using due process to get the information that it would get. I'm glad to see the system, at this point, is working as intended.
    Reply
  • secolliyn
    I have to say that this is kinda funny and if I were one of those people who downloaded it and played it I would have to say that it's a great game and I couldn't wait to get the full version when it comes out..... but I'm not saying that at all I hope it really is a great game Dues Ex-2 was a disgrace and should never have been made... ever
    Reply
  • henydiah
    no probably not, its all bound to leak, it is definitely not yet released any leak, it may act in person. ha ha ha :D , now nothing will easily fast leak.
    Reply
  • henydiah
    i fully support square, go after all the idiot hackers and pirate scum bags! they are nothing but complete losers and social outcasts.
    That dimension of cyberspace, there is always a pirate, and there is always that there is hijacked. it really makes me Sad.
    Reply
  • Travis Beane
    dirtyferreti fully support square, go after all the idiot hackers and pirate scum bags! they are nothing but complete losers and social outcasts.Ouch! Insults hurt you know. :(
    We're people too...
    Reply
  • therabiddeer
    Sounds like Valve will gladly hand it over once the subpoena is obtained, good to see Valve stuck with their privacy policy
    Reply
  • alidan
    square enix is a company that i hate, not game wise, but how they usualy conduct business, read anything that people have to say about them, it really p@%^es you off if you are a gamer.

    however im torn, square is asking 5000 in compensation, a VERY REASONABLE price considering how much most companies would claim. anyone here think the game is so good they are asking this little? i mean great publicity if the game pwns, but a loss in sales to many who get the coppy (depending on how finished it is)
    Reply
  • lucky015
    alidansquare enix is a company that i hate, not game wise, but how they usualy conduct business, read anything that people have to say about them, it really p@%^es you off if you are a gamer.however im torn, square is asking 5000 in compensation, a VERY REASONABLE price considering how much most companies would claim. anyone here think the game is so good they are asking this little? i mean great publicity if the game pwns, but a loss in sales to many who get the coppy (depending on how finished it is)Actually they are filing it under a claim of 5k+ meaning it could be MUCH higher.

    dirtyferreti fully support square, go after all the idiot hackers and pirate scum bags! they are nothing but complete losers and social outcasts.What a one sided comment, I pirate plenty of games, I own 2 Legal games in total, Both of which I would not have bought had I not pirated the first one or 2 versions.

    My reasoning is a lack of money and a flat out refusal to pay for anything that I do not know if I will like and will not have the ability to resell properly later (I play PC games only).

    If I had not pirated any games I simply would not have any at all.

    In saying all of that however, I do not think it is OK for people to leak unreleased content, Unless perhaps it is being held back for stupid reasons.
    Reply
  • 1fastbiker
    All I can say is the pirates should had been more careful, but at the same time Valve/steam should not be responsible
    Reply