Dark and Darker's Legal Dungeon Crawl: Copyright Cleared, But The Boss Fight Isn't Over
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
The South Korean Supreme Court has largely cleared Ironmace's Dark and Darker of Nexon's copyright infringement claims, allowing development to proceed, though a significant fine for trade secret infringement and an ongoing criminal case mean the legal battle isn't entirely over.
Well, well, well, if it isn't the consequences of a giant legal battle that's been hanging over *Dark and Darker* like a particularly nasty debuff. Remember that whole kerfuffle with Nexon, the behemoth developer who decided Ironmace's hardcore fantasy PvPvE dungeon-delving darling looked a bit *too much* like their own 'P3' project?
Bloody hell, talk about a plot twist! The South Korean Supreme Court, bless their cotton socks, has pretty much told Nexon to jog on when it comes to those copyright infringement claims. This bombshell ruling means *Dark and Darker* is officially free to continue development without fear of being shut down. Presiding justice Park Young-jae dismissed those allegations outright and rejected Nexon's request to take the game offline. All appeals from both parties? Rejected, mate. Issue, for the most part, put to bed. You can even find a bit more detail over on the Dark and Darker Reddit, thanks to community manager Jay.
So, Ironmace is free to crack on with development, which is fair dinkum excellent news for all you aspiring adventurers out there who’ve been itching for more dungeon delves and PvPvE shenanigans. (If you’ve somehow missed it, there’s a gameplay trailer floating around out there – go have a squiz!)
But, and there's always a 'but' in these epic sagas, isn't there? Like finding a mimic when you thought you'd cleared the room. While the copyright claims were given the boot, the Supreme Court *did* uphold a previous ruling regarding trade secrets, basically saying Ironmace's former Nexon staff did infringe on 'em.
What does this mean for Ironmace's wallet, you ask? Well, they had to whip out the old debit card for 5.7bn Korean Won (that's roughly £2.8 million quid, for us UK folks). However, here’s the kicker: this is actually a *reduction* from a previous 8.5bn Won payment, meaning Ironmace received a refund of 2.8bn Won (about £1.4 million)! Like finding a health potion right after a brutal boss fight, eh? Plus, their legal costs got slashed from 80% to 40%, and all those pesky injunctions? Lifted! *Poof!* Gone like a rogue wizard's misplaced spellbook.
So, injunctions lifted, legal costs slashed – sounds like a 'GG EZ' right? Nah, mate, not quite. This legal saga isn't entirely over. There's still a separate criminal case rattling around in South Korea between both parties. Ironmace, in a statement to Inven, reckons they're innocent and plans to fight to the very end, especially since they haven't been able to verify all the objective data until now. So, the final boss hasn't fallen just yet, it seems.
It's a rollercoaster, this industry, innit? From the trenches of legal battles to the potential glory of a finished game. Always something brewing in the cauldron. Big thanks to Connor Makar over at Eurogamer for keeping us in the loop on this epic legal quest. Always good to have the original scrolls!
Tags: Dark and Darker, Legal Battle, Nexon, Ironmace, Gaming Industry
Original article: Eurogamer