Los Angeles - Video game publisher Activision (NASD: ATVI), which recently merged with media conglomerate Vivendi's Blizzard Entertainment, has filed a copyright infringement suit against a New York man alleged to have illegally copied and distributed its game titles, Edge Online reported. It is unclear whether the complaint relates to file-sharing on a peer-to-peer network, but Activision is seeking statutory damages of $30,000 to $150,000 for each alleged infringement made by defendant James R. Strickland.

Furthermore, GamePolitics reports that Activision has filed at least six similar lawsuits against defendants alleged to have illegally copied and distributed its games.

In these cases, the defendants all settled out of court, and agreed to pay damages ranging from $1,000 to $100,000.

As part of the terms, the defendants also agreed not to discuss their cases.

Activision's stealthy legal campaign in defense of its copyrights is somewhat similar to the one being waged by the recording industry against file-swappers.

GamePolitics also noted that Activision's lead attorney on the cases, Karin Pagnanelli, "has worked on numerous file sharing cases on behalf of clients in the music business."

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/3rxfh (Edge Online)

http://snipurl.com/3rxfb (GamePolitics)

http://www.activision.com