AUG. 15, 2007 • Blizzard Entertainment is being sued in the Beijing High People’s Court by Founder Electronics Co Ltd. The latter alleges that Blizzard is infringing on its copyrighted fonts. Founder is China largest font supplier with hundreds of multi-language fonts widely used in that market. Blizzard is being accused of illegal copying and use of five of Founder’s fonts without permission. Compensation in the amount of 100 million yuan ($13.3 million) is sought.
Impact: With success comes attention. China has been bashed for so long for lax intellectual property protections, that it was only a matter of time before some western company would find itself the subject of a tit-for-tat response. World of Warcraft’s huge popularity in China made Blizzard a ripe target for scrutiny whether it is found guilty of infringement or not.
