No-Holds Barred, Mexican Pirate Raid
Law enforcement doesn't play around in Mexico City.
Published: March 17, 2008
I don't care what bad things people say about Mexican law enforcement, they get the job done. I'm not alone in that assessment, as the Entertainment Software Association (ESA for short) feels the same way. In fact, they love them so much, they went as far as to bestow glowing remarks on Procuraduria General de la Republica and the Agencia Federal de Investigacion for their hand in raids that shut down four facilities pirating software of all kinds.
Pirating software does have an impact on the industry, contrary to what many software pirates would have you believe, and what was seized in the raid is testament to that fact. More than 28,800 illegal copies of video games were rounded up, but over 900,000 video game cover inserts were found, suggesting the four plants had the ability to crank out roughly a million video games easy. That's lost sales across the industry.
"Mexico is an important market for ESA members due to the enormous popularity of entertainment software," said Ric Hirsch, senior vice president for Intellectual Property Enforcement at the ESA. "Unfortunately, Mexico also has an alarmingly high rate of game software piracy that by our estimates reaches 88%. We are very grateful for the efforts of PGR, its Specialized Unit on Investigation of Crimes Committed against Industrial Property and Copyrights (UEIDDAPI), the prosecutors that were assigned to this case, and AFI in attacking the sources of pirate video games circulating in Mexico City markets, as such enforcement actions are the best way to reduce high levels of game piracy."
One of the major places that illegal game trafficking as taken place is the Tepito market, which is one of the most popular shopping areas in Mexico City. ESA, along with the help of local officials, had been investigating the market for several months before making their move. Jjust because there was a raid doesn't mean this activity will cease, however.
It's because of software pirates that Asian companies have adopted a “free software, pay for extras” model for their Asian audience, which works extraordinarily well, as NCSoft's Lineage series has proven. The future of gaming, once connection speeds and broadband reach a wide enough audience in the West, will most likely move into the same arena. It's unfortunate that it's come to this, but we have only ourselves to blame.
Pirating software does have an impact on the industry, contrary to what many software pirates would have you believe, and what was seized in the raid is testament to that fact. More than 28,800 illegal copies of video games were rounded up, but over 900,000 video game cover inserts were found, suggesting the four plants had the ability to crank out roughly a million video games easy. That's lost sales across the industry.
"Mexico is an important market for ESA members due to the enormous popularity of entertainment software," said Ric Hirsch, senior vice president for Intellectual Property Enforcement at the ESA. "Unfortunately, Mexico also has an alarmingly high rate of game software piracy that by our estimates reaches 88%. We are very grateful for the efforts of PGR, its Specialized Unit on Investigation of Crimes Committed against Industrial Property and Copyrights (UEIDDAPI), the prosecutors that were assigned to this case, and AFI in attacking the sources of pirate video games circulating in Mexico City markets, as such enforcement actions are the best way to reduce high levels of game piracy."
One of the major places that illegal game trafficking as taken place is the Tepito market, which is one of the most popular shopping areas in Mexico City. ESA, along with the help of local officials, had been investigating the market for several months before making their move. Jjust because there was a raid doesn't mean this activity will cease, however.
It's because of software pirates that Asian companies have adopted a “free software, pay for extras” model for their Asian audience, which works extraordinarily well, as NCSoft's Lineage series has proven. The future of gaming, once connection speeds and broadband reach a wide enough audience in the West, will most likely move into the same arena. It's unfortunate that it's come to this, but we have only ourselves to blame.