Korea cable channels MBC Game and OnGameNet Broadcast Starcraft Tournaments Without Permission

Blizzard allowed the two channels to broadcast Korea e-Sports Players Association (KeSPA) tournaments until August, but the channels have continued to broadcast tournaments into the fall season.

The channels argue that they should be able to broadcast Starcraft tournaments because the games used in the professional tournaments are in the public domain while Blizzard argues that its intellectual property is being violated.  The channels argue that to require them to obtain the appropriate permission to broadcast the tournaments would equate to requiring soccer players to pay to use Adidas balls.

In terms of protecting its intellectual property Blizzard seems to have a firm foundation.  Each successive broadcast displays a multitude of Starcraft copyrighted material.  The channels' argument equating Starcraft as a mere tool in comparison to people kicking around a soccer ball with the Adidas trademark seems misplaced.   Although the sports comparison is interesting, there is usually no IP issue when a channel broadcasts a soccer game using an Adidas soccer ball, unless the broadcasters were to say malign the Adidas trademark.

Starcraft Tournament Broadcast

China Prohibits "Vulgar" Online Game Ads

The Chinese government has prohibited online gaming companies from promoting their products through the use of "vulgar" online game ads.  The order came through after several Chinese gaming companies used scantily clad models to promote products. 

However, what goes against China's moral fiber and is deemed vulgar seems ultimately vague and hard to decipher.  It will be interesting to see how the government enforces this law and if it will provide clarity in the future.

Prohibition of Vulgar Ads

Lenovo's New System

As the fourth largest personal computer maker in the world, Lenovo has plans to roll out its own entertainment console, the Ebox, and stake its claim in millions of Chinese households.  The Ebox operates on a motion control system akin to Microsoft Xbox 360's "Kinect" and Sony PS3's "Move."  Lenovo plans to release the system in China at the end of 2010.

In its efforts to diversify business, the company touts its ability to better understand the Chinese consumer by packing the console (which looks strikingly similar to Nintendo's Wii console) with 30 games rather than the usual standard of having the console exist separately from game software and without any pre-packaged add-ons.  Whether Lenovo's gutsy foray into the industry with its own system will be a success will depend on its ability to withstand China's difficult regulations and rampant piracy.

The Ebox

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