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2d ago

German Court Clears PSP Cheat Software of Copyright Infringement

Based on an October EuGH precedent the Bundesgerichtshof found that altering only in-memory game data does not infringe copyright, referring the Axel Springer vs. Eyeo dispute back to Hamburg’s higher regional court

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Sony unterliegt im Streit um Schummel-Software
Im langen Streit um Schummelsoftware hat Sony vor dem Bundesgerichtshof eine Niederlage erlitten.
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Overview

  • The Bundesgerichtshof ruled in case I ZR 157/21 that cheat software manipulating only a console’s RAM does not constitute unauthorized reproduction of a program.
  • The judgment relies on an October 2024 European Court of Justice decision that temporary data changes in device memory fall outside the scope of copyright protection.
  • Presiding Judge Thomas Koch highlighted that copyright covers source code and object code but not transient runtime states.
  • Sony’s lawsuit sought damages over cheat tools for a discontinued PlayStation Portable racing game that unlocked features like unlimited turbo and early character selection.
  • The high court has remanded a separate Axel Springer versus Eyeo (AdBlock Plus) copyright dispute to the Hamburg Higher Regional Court for further examination.