Bungie had previously sued the company Phoenix Digital, the parent company of AimJunkies, a popular cheat supplier for major online games like Destiny 2. While Bungie did win this lawsuit, Phoenix Digital argued that Bungie failed to prove any copyright infringement as part of its counter-suit. The case eventually went to a jury trial, setting a new precedent for future action from publishers against cheat makers.

As reported by Stephen Totilo of Game File, the case of Phoenix Digital vs Bungie did go to trial and the jury verdict has now come through. They ruled against Phoenix Digital, setting a precedent that cheat tools do in-fact constitute copyright infringement. This is an important moment for game publishers, who will now have more ammo to use against cheat creators in future cases, at least in the US.

The Jury came through with the verdict on the 25th of May, leading to the judge awarding Bungie a $63,000 sum. Phoenix Digital isn’t quite done yet though, as the company plans to appeal, continuing to claim that Bungie “illegally accessed their computer systems”, something that the company has not yet been able to provide satisfactory evidence of.

In a statement from Bungie’s legal representation, the company told Totilo: “We are grateful for the diligence, professionalism, and care exercised by the Judge, his staff, and the Jury. We’re committed to our players and will continue to protect them against cheats, including taking this and future cases all the way to trial.”

Bungie has been at the forefront of this push to crack down on cheat creators. A number of major cheat providers have shut down in recent years, in part due to legal efforts from companies like Bungie, Riot, Epic Games and Activision Blizzard. Now that Bungie has won a jury trial, we may see an uptick in game publishers pursuing action against those selling cheats for online games.

KitGuru Says: This outcome should empower companies like Bungie to continue taking action against cheat sellers. A number of lawsuits have already been won, but none of them had gone to a jury trial. A verdict like this sets a strong precedent for future cases like this. 

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