Copyright crooks in debut Chinese case

Three people who broke the copyright of a popular online game were charged in the Xuhui District People's Court yesterday in the first criminal case of its kind in China.

Prosecutors say the ringleader of the trio, 29-year-old Wang Yuchuan from Henan Province, stole the computer code of the game "Zhengtu" - one of the 10 most popular online games in China - and some support documents from the Giant Interactive Group Inc, which developed the game.

Wang worked as a computer programmer for the company for four months up to June last year. After he learned the code, Wang left and hit the Internet, looking for potential buyers.

Wang first sold the code details to a woman, Wang Yan, 31, from Heilongjiang Province, on March 15 for 70,000 yuan (US$9,211) and later that month to another man for 60,000 yuan.

Prosecutors said that Wang Yan, with her 24-year-old accomplice Tang Shuai, then sold the code on again to a man in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, two weeks later for 200,000 yuan.

With the game code and the documents, anyone with basic computer skills can run the game.

Yesterday in court, the three charged, Wang Yuchuan, Wang Yan and Tang Shuai, all admitted breaking the copyright laws.

"Zhengtu" made its debut online on April 21, 2006. It is said 200,000 players were playing the game on the first day, more than any other online game.

The Giant Interactive Group Inc has not yet filed any civil claim against the three or asked for compensation.

The court did not come to a verdict yesterday.