Announcement regarding Lawsuit Judgment
TOKYO, Japan - February 23, 2012 - GREE announced that the Tokyo District Court had issued an order for a JPY 234.6 million payment as compensation for damages, as well as for an injunction against distribution of “Tsurige-Town 2,” directed at DeNA Co., Ltd. (“DeNA”) and ORSO Inc. (“ORSO”), as a result of GREE's copyright infringement lawsuit against DeNA and ORSO.
Yoshikazu Tanaka, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GREE, commented on the judgment, stating that, “as the Tokyo District Court has ordered an injunction against DeNA's and ORSO's distribution of their “Tsurige-Town 2” game, as well as compensation for damages, we appreciate that the illegality of DeNA's and ORSO's copyright infringement has been sufficiently recognized by the Court. The GREE Group believes its intellectual property is an extremely important asset and if we believe that the GREE Group's intellectual property is being infringed, we will surely take the necessary steps in response, including legal action.”
1.Background of the Lawsuit
GREE filed an action on September 25, 2009 against DeNA and ORSO, as a result of its view that “Tsurige-Town 2,” a mobile phone game co-developed and distributed by DeNA and ORSO, was infringing its copyrights for the mobile phone game, “Tsuri-Sta,” which GREE developed and distributes.
2.Overview of the lawsuit
(1) Opposing party
DeNA Co., Ltd.
Address:4-30-3, Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Representative Director: Isao Moriyasu
ORSO Inc.
Address:2-4-1, Iwamotocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Representative Director:Yoshichika Sakamoto
(2) Plaintiff's counsel : Nishimura & Asahi
(3) Major demands
i. Injunction prohibiting distribution of “Tsurige-Town 2” based on the provisions of the Copyright Act and other applicable laws.
ii. Compensation for damages based on the Copyright Act and other applicable laws.
3.Overview of the judgment
The Court ordered the opposing parties to:
(1) Make a payment of JPY 234.6 million as compensation for damages under the Copyright Act and additional damages for delayed payment based on the statutory interest rate.
(2) Comply with an injunction on the distribution of “Tsurige-Town 2.”
4.Future outlook
Further relevant and required announcements regarding this lawsuit will be disclosed in a timely manner. In addition, at the current time, the impact on our financial estimates are expected to be minimal.
(Reference)
The social game “Tsuri-Sta”
First provided in May 2007, Tsuri-Sta was the first mobile social game developed in-house by GREE. Tsuri-Sta is a fishing game where users can use fishing rods, bait, and other tools and can cooperate with other users to catch many types of fish. Many different events such as tours are conducted and many users have registered to play this popular game.
About GREE, Inc.
GREE provides Japan's leading mobile social network, and is at the forefront of mobile technology. GREE was ranked as Japan's fastest-growing tech company by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. in 2009 and 2010. GREE, following its acquisition of OpenFeint in April 2011, is expanding globally and will soon offer a single, worldwide mobile social gaming platform. Combined, GREE reaches approximately 190 million players and offers over 7,500 game applications for smartphones. GREE aims to build the leading mobile social gaming ecosystem for users and developers worldwide.
Contact Information
GREE, Inc. PR
Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
E-mail: pr@gree.co.jp
URL: https://corp.gree.net/jp/en/
Twitter: @GREE_pr_jp
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