Case Update: MDY v. Blizzard

The creator of a software bot designed to allow users of Blizzard Entertainment Inc.’s World of Warcraft to continue playing the online role-playing game while away from their computers remains on the hook for a $6.5 million judgment, although Blizzard’s request to have MDY Industries LLC pay significantly more in damages was denied.Judge David G. Campbell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona ruled Wednesday, April 1, 2009, that the $6.5 million judgment that had been stipulated following a bench trial was the maximum damages MDY’s founder Michael Donnelly would have to pay the video game giant. That decision, along with a permanent injunction on the sale of the software bot on tortious interference grounds, was reached at the end of January.More info at Law360.The case is MDY Industries LLC v. Blizzard Entertainment Inc. and Vivendi Games Inc., case number 2:06-cv-02555-DGC, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.