on another note, i think some ex-members are working as developers in ubisoft.

@40 You’re wrong.
Almost anything expressed (indeed not a formula as mentioned), even all comments here, are copyrighted. So the Myth code (modifications or patch) are too. It’s like a ‘performing’ artist having copyright on the ‘performed’ work.

(a lot to read going through 2 weeks of articles, almost there)

I have the steam version of Max Payne 2, and it doesn’t have the logo in the executable.

Also wether or not the crack code is protected by copyright is actually up for debate.

Should Myth, unlikely as it is, sue Rockstar then depending on the complexity of their crack and the legislation in the nation they might sue from they could very well have a case.

I quite agree with the last part about this being careless and dangerous.

I think this is more of a lone programmer working for Rockstar who thought he could simply use someone else’s code and claim credit. Makes his job easier, right?

I think obviously Rockstar (as a whole) wouldn’t have made this call.

1) Copyright infringement on the logo can, in fact, be sued over (and in all probability won). Since copyright is inferred when the work is created, all that needs to be done is for Myth to prove that they used the logo well before Rockstar used it. Which wouldn’t be too hard to do.

2) Code infringement on the other hand would not fly in court. Because the code that was written modified the source code of another users intellectual IP without express consent. Meaning that the code after being created would actually belong to Rockstar.

If it ever goes to court for some reason, and some bozo copied and registered your stuff that you didn’t, you are going to be at a big disadvantage. But you can still win if you can prove that you had made yours first. IANAL, but I have seen articles over the years on these exact things popping up ITRW.

As to the whole scene thing. Their logo is copyrighted by them, but probably not registered, but it’s very well known and wouldn’t be a problem to prove in court. Their code is also copyrighted, but again probably not registered, and it’s got their name/logo all over it. Without some kind of agreement from it’s creators, Rockstar is in fact stealing code and as such, is breaking the law. It doesn’t matter that the code was produced for an illicit reason and use, it still belongs to someone else. It doesn’t matter that it modifies the functions of someone else’s code, the code for the patch belongs to it’s creators, same as the code for the game belongs to it’s creators.

If someone mugs you and takes your money, that’s illegal. If someone else comes along and mugs the previous mugger, that’s still illegal, possibly ironic, but illegal.

I’m really shocked at how often companies will steal other peoples code just because they think they can get away with it.

I also think that it’s completely unreasonable to profit from work that someone else went to jail for, whatever the law says.

People saying that it’s okay because it’s still Rockstar’s code have no fucking idea how cracks work.

At least we know they admitted that pirated version is simply a better version than their own original version!

The ESA lobbies for anti-circumvention laws which makes this story all the more ironic. While simultaneously supporting this lobby groups actions, Rockstar is using some scene groups crack for a no-cd version of the game rather than making their own. Hilarity! bookmarked, screenshot, printed and redistributing this article for further laughter.

Awesome article torrent freak and good eye to the reader who found this.

A FORMULA CAN’T BE COPYRIGHTED!
ART IS ALWAYS COPYRIGHTED!

Even when the art is piss poor or illegal. Say make an cover of Poker Face by Lady Gaga. It sucks and I didn’t secure the rights, so I can’t publish it -but the copyright is still mine, Lady Gaga can not put my cover on her next album as a joke. And as it isn’t Myth that’s trying to sell their Logo the fonts copyright has absolutely no importance.

Also why do you cite a Canadian copyright authority? Rockstar is American, and in most cases an infringer can get sued by the copyrightholder where he lives -i.e. a country where you might not even be able to register a copyrighted work.

Furthermore it shouldn’t matter wether or not the artist/MYTH will take it to court. Or if Myth would be able to prove their identity.

The fact remains that ROCKSTAR =/= MYTH or the artist behind the logo.
UNLESS ROCKSTAR CAN COUGH UP A LICENSE LICENSE FOR USING THE WORK OF MYTH, THEY CAN’T USE IT!
Simple as that.

Rockstar can’t hold the moral high ground when it comes to fighting piracy, when they are in fact pirating others work themself.

If Rockstar believes copyright infringement is ok as long as one can get away with it, then it invalidates Take-Two’s “piracy is evil” policy.

Thus Rockstar ought to remove any thridparty code and art they haven’t got the license for.

BTW, the Myth logo, and that game logo, to me, seem to be different, same name, yes, but, different style it seems. To me anyways.

I hope Myth backdoored that code back then

Do not try your pathetic excuses, this is a fact now.

It also proves that these crackers are uber leet.

either way the code does not belong to the group that reverse engineered and modified it.

If the group, on the other hand, built from the ground up, a game loader, then that code belongs to that release group.

In relation to the logo, unless they trademarked the logo, i think it’s fair game.

And to answer the people thinking they understand copyright, let me post this info up for you, as cut and pasted from “Canadian Intellectual Property Office” where you need to register in Canada:

“Although copyright in a work exists automatically when an original work is created, a certificate of registration is evidence that your creation is protected by copyright and that you, the person registered, are the owner. It can be used in court as evidence of ownership.”

Yes, copyright is implied on any work created. IMPLIED. That doesn’t stand up in court unless you can prove you created the work, which is why you have to register the copyright. The “moral” copyright code does not stand up in court.

And the work you are attempting to copyright has to be yours, not stolen from the game developers.

Myth, in regards to the logo and the code, have no leg to stand on in the courts eyes. They are not a registered company. They are, according to the law, a criminal organization. The logo is an unregistered work and not trademarked, so anyone can steal it. beyond that, do they own the copyright on the font used? Doubtful.

Do you honestly think you can copyright the formula you invented for crystal meth?

the lesson kiddies, is copyright law is fubared, regardless of what side of the debate you are on, it’s totally screwed.

And really, regarding Myth, all we have is a logo in hex, no one has released code comparisons to actually prove rockstar used a myth supplied crack, would only take a few clicks to run them both through a hex editor and examine them, as the game company should have if they indeed used a crack from another game release.

The game code is owned by rockstar, but the code made to crack it is Myth’s work.

Myth’s code and logo belongs to Myth.
Rockstar clearly profits from Max Payne 2 on steam. Which means that Myth could sue them for damages in quite a few juristrictions -despite Myth not having suffered any loss. If nothing else Myth could force them to stopusing their code and logo.
Furthermore the state could fine Rockstar for the copyright violation.

While Myth isn’t going to sue Rockstar, it’s against just about any scenes groups code to allow thirdparties to sell their stuff.

From a pro-piracy standpoint you’re right, it’s ok that a company sell crack with it’s software, but then again it’d be ok for the pirates to sell the game with their crack.

When Rockstar fights piracy and sharing of their games, -they might even have had a role in Myth being stopped, it’s clearly inexcusable for them to pirate someone elses work.

They are providing everyone, the legit buyers included, with a way to play their games without the need to carry a box of discs around. Very good for laptop owners.

The crackers are not profiting with it. Rockstar has all the right to use their work.

This should’n even be news…

now that is funny.

a. A large company plagarized someone else’s work to fix their broken product, without permission, compensation, or credit for said work.

That sounds awfully close to IP infringement.

b. The fact that the logo is present means they didn’t look it over before using it, at all.

c. It could be filled with not so nice software: ie shit that steals your steam account info.