Half-a-life-a-lawsuit?
By Wil Harris: Tuesday 21 September 2004, 09:57
IN A SPOT of investigative journalism, the chaps over at Gamespot have uncovered a doozy of a story regarding the on-going Half-Life 2 shenanigans.
Yes, yes, we know that we've spoken a lot about HL2 lately. The game is, however, slightly less anticipated than the coming of Christ, and is big news for Canadian graphics companies.
It seems that Valve and Vivendi are still in the midst of legal wranglings over copyright infringements relating to Valve software. Valve sued Vivendi in 2002 for copyright infringement for distributing Valve software to cyber-cafes without its permission. Vivendi responded by counter-suing, saying that Valve's Steam system infringes the license it has to distribute Valve games.
As of right now, Vivendi's position is that Steam is an illegitimate way for Valve to get its software out, and Vivendi does appear to be attempting to get an injunction to prevent Valve releasing the software over the distribution system. The publisher even goes so far as to claim, in its legal documents, that Gabe Newell deliberately concealed the capabilities of the Steam system from it and misled it over Valve's distribution intentions.
Marketing Supremo Doug Lombardi at Valve is quoted as replying a simple "Yes" to Gamespot's question as to whether Steam distribution would go ahead regardless - despite the October 8 hearing (the next stage in the process for m'learned fiends) occurring before any likely release date.
The chances are that HL2 is simply too lucrative for Valve to step back from Steam, especially given all the fuss it has made over it and their preloading system. It is definitely too lucrative for Vivendi to give up the exclusive distribution rights easily - especially when Steam has become so prevalent amongst hardened Half-Life players and is likely to dent its bottom line.
For those of a Judge Judy disposition, you can read the full report, with documental extracts and court timetables included, over at GameSpot. µ
