Last Friday, video game company Riot Games filed a lawsuit in California against a League of Legends (LoL) eDoping software called LeagueSharp.
Riot Games is the studio developer and publisher of insanely popular video game League of Legends that first launched in 2009. Meanwhile, LeagueSharp allows LoL players to automate gameplay and gain experience at an inhuman rate, much like doping in sports.
In May 2015, Riot introduced a report card system to punish bad behavior from players within the LoL game. And earlier this year, video game developer Valve Corporation started banning the Steam account of users who use cheats for three months on its title Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Riot Games claims LeagueSharp harms LoL and players
In the lawsuit, filed on August 5, Riot Games claims that cheating service LeagueSharp, increasingly used by gamers, poses both a huge disadvantage to regular League of Legends players and a threat to the game as a whole. Riot also accused LeagueSharp of indirectly attacking its servers by allowing players to use cheats to advance in LoL through hacks.
League of Legends maker goes to court to stop cheat programs | Ars … https://t.co/OgbgjybZSS
— League of Legends (@TheLOLNews) August 13, 2016
Riot Games are suing the service for alleged copyright infringement. The studio believes LeagueSharp created its software employing reverse engineering as they have invested large sums of money to ensure players can’t use these types of cheats.
It’s still a mystery how LeagueSharp got its hands on LoL’s design data. But it may be a clue within the lawsuit. Riot wanted to reach a settlement with LeagueSharp, but the latter responded in a hostile manner. Riot Games alleges that LeagueSharp associates have threatened and intimidated a Riot employees by revealing personal information and posting insults on their social media.
The Riot plaintiff have targeted three German companies that are LeagueSharp affiliates, and one Peruvian company that reportedly owns the software copyright of the cheating service. The defendants have 21 days to respond to Riot’s suit.
Riot sues 'world's largest League of Legends hacking/bot service … https://t.co/cfya5tW7Y6
— League of Legends (@TheLOLNews) August 12, 2016
LeagueSharp offers eDoping to LoL players
LeagueSharp’s eDoping service allows players to inject scripts, which in this particular analogy would be the banned drugs, into League of Legends to quickly level up League of Legends characters at a pace that’s not humanly possible.
Once inside the game, the cheats automatically locate enemies, boost accuracy, carry out combos, last hits, and even offer enhanced awareness of the playing field. Players don’t have to push any button at all.
The service offers two packages. One offers a limited subscription for $15 per month, with 50 games per day, and the other grants an unlimited subscription for $50 per month.
So while professional soccer clubs, like Manchester City or Wolfsburg, are entering the eSports world, eDoping systems are also making its way into this new lucrative market. Any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental.
Source: Digital Trends
