Due to cheats in the survival game Fortnite (PC, PS4, Xbox One), two cheaters have been prosecuted. They were accused of copyright infringement. The first trial has now concluded, and developer Epic is continuing to take action against the 14-year-old cheater.
We reported that Fortnite wants to make an example of two cheaters and has officially sued them for 150,000 US dollars.
First case: Epic against cheater ends with injunction
The first of these cases has now been concluded. It involved a cheater in Minnesota. He was accused of using unauthorized computer code to cheat. He has been banned nine times but created a new account in Fortnite Battle Royale each time and continued cheating.
This lawsuit has now been settled out of court. The cheater has signed a temporary injunction which requires him to destroy all cheats and never cheat again. He must not do anything that infringes Epic’s copyright.
If he violates these conditions, he must pay 5,000 US dollars. It is unclear if he is currently incurring any costs.
Case against 14-year-old cheater still pending
The second case involved headlines because a 14-year-old was to be prosecuted. The mother of the accused has addressed the public in a letter and accused Epic Games of several issues, including violating the minor’s protection by anonymity with the lawsuit.
Epic Games claims they did not know the age of the cheater when they filed the lawsuit. Now that the mother has revealed her son’s full name and address, she has exposed the young man to the public.
The law states that for individuals known to be minors, only initials can be used. Epic wanted to comply with this and will continue to do so in further submissions to the court.
The case against the 14-year-old has not progressed further. However, it appears that Epic is not willing to back down and will continue to take action. This could lead to a second temporary injunction.
Apparently, Fortnite does not want to ruin anyone here but wants to ensure that every cheater understands that serious consequences are imminent.
For more background on the case, read here:
