Editing Cheating in online games (section)

==Legal measures==
In recent years, countries including South Korea and China have criminalized the sale or use of cheats in video games.<ref name="ViceChickenDrumstick2">{{cite web |last1=Franceschi-Bicchierai |first1=Lorenzo |title=Inside The 'World's Largest' Video Game Cheating Empire |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/inside-the-worlds-largest-video-game-cheating-empire/ |access-date=2 June 2021 |website=Vice.com |date=June 2021 |language=en}}</ref> In South Korea, cheaters could be punished with up to 5 years in jail or fines exceeding $40,000.<ref name=":0" /> The presence of cheaters in online games may push away the legitimate playerbase and reduce overall profits in the industry, leading to game developers working with legislative bodies or enforcement agencies.<ref name="ViceChickenDrumstick2" />

Historically, some game companies have also taken legal measures against individuals that have created and sold cheating tools in video games as a means to curb their use. Anti-cheat experts have argued that it is particularly important to take legal steps against entities who profit from making and selling cheats.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Totilo |first1=Stephen |title=The four kinds of video game cheaters (and what developers can do about them) |url=https://www.axios.com/video-game-cheaters-ce026773-8992-4c95-9ed6-e677d9f47151.html |website=Axios |access-date=5 April 2022 |language=en |date=23 March 2022}}</ref> In April 2013, coder DrUnKeN ChEeTaH was sued by [[Nexon America]] for operating GameAnarchy, a popular subscription based cheat provider for ''[[Combat Arms]]'', and lost, Nexon being awarded $1.4M in damages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/cacdce/2:2012cv02083/526488/71|title=JUDGMENT by Judge Michael W for Nexon America Inc et al v. Gameanarchy LLC et al|website=Justia Dockets & Filings}}</ref> In January 2017, [[Riot Games]] successfully sued the LeagueSharp service, which offered a subscription-based hacking service for Riot's ''[[League of Legends]]'', with a $10 million award to be paid to Riot.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fingas |first1=Jon |title='League of Legends' creator wins $10 million in cheating lawsuit |url=https://www.engadget.com/2017-03-06-league-of-legends-creator-wins-cheating-lawsuit.html |access-date=2 June 2021 |website=Engadget|date=6 March 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McAloon |first=Alissa |date=March 3, 2017 |title=Riot awarded $10 million following lawsuit against LeagueSharp |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/riot-awarded-10-million-following-lawsuit-against-leaguesharp |access-date=March 15, 2017 |work=[[Gamasutra]]}}</ref> [[Blizzard Entertainment]] sued Bossland GMBH for distributing software hacks for several of its games, and was awarded $8.5 million in damages.<ref>{{cite web |last=McAloon |first=Alissa |date=March 15, 2017 |title=Blizzard seeks $8.5M from hack-maker Bossland over DMCA violations |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/293785/Blizzard_seeks_85M_from_hackmaker_Bossland_over_DMCA_violations.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316032056/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/293785/Blizzard_seeks_85M_from_hackmaker_Bossland_over_DMCA_violations.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 16, 2017 |access-date=March 15, 2017 |work=[[Gamasutra]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=McAloon |first=Alissa |date=April 4, 2017 |title=Blizzard awarded $8.5M in damages following copyright infringement lawsuit |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/295245/Blizzard_awarded_85M_in_damages_following_copyright_infringement_lawsuit.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405061903/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/295245/Blizzard_awarded_85M_in_damages_following_copyright_infringement_lawsuit.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 5, 2017 |access-date=April 4, 2017 |work=[[Gamasutra]]}}</ref> [[Epic Games]], producers of the battle royale game ''[[Fortnite]]'' have sued two cheaters partnered with AddictedCheats, who offer cheating services for a variety of online games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stewart |first=Sam |date=2017-10-12 |title=Epic Games Taking Legal Action Against Fortnite Cheaters |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/10/12/epic-games-taking-legal-action-against-fortnite-cheaters |access-date=2022-04-04 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref> [[Bungie]] had sued AimJunkies for cheats related to ''[[Destiny 2]]''. Parts of their claims were settled via arbitration with Bungie being awarded $4.3 million, but a jury trial found for Bungie on copyright infringement claims, and while Bungie was awarded around $60,000 based on revenue made by AimJunkies, it was the first time that a jury trial had ruled on cheat software for video games, potentially setting future case law for further challenges.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/25/24164679/bungie-anti-cheating-lawsuit-jury-trial-aimjunkies-copyright-violation-victory | title=A jury hands Bungie a landmark victory in a Destiny 2 cheating lawsuit | date=25 May 2024 }}</ref>

Often, game company lawsuits against cheaters or cheat providers cite [[copyright infringement]] as the reason for the lawsuit. While some argue against the merit of this claim, grounds for copyright infringement include damaging the company's intellectual property, affecting the experience of other users, and circumventing the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act|Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)]], which could be applied to video games.<ref name=":1" />