In a significant legal victory, Activision has been awarded $14.4 million (£11.3 million) in damages from a federal court ruling against cheat maker EngineOwning and its affiliated entities. The court also issued a permanent injunction against the cheating site’s “unlawful conduct” and ordered the transfer of its domain name, www.EngineOwning.to, to Activision.
The lawsuit, filed by Activision at the beginning of 2022, accused EngineOwning, a German business entity, and several individuals of profiting from cheats and providing unfair competitive advantages to players willing to pay for auto-aim, auto-fire, and other malicious software designed to circumvent the security systems of popular online multiplayer games, particularly the Call of Duty franchise.
The United States District Court of the Central District of California granted Activision’s motion for default judgement, ruling in favor of the publisher’s claims that EngineOwning violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by continuing to distribute and sell cheating software despite repeated attempts to shut down its operations.
The court awarded Activision $14,465,600 in statutory damages, calculated based on the minimum $200 penalty under the DMCA multiplied by the approximate number of cheat downloads in the United States (72,328). Additionally, the publisher was awarded $292,912 in attorneys’ fees.
This legal victory follows a previous ruling in February 2023, wherein EngineOwning was ordered to pay Activision $3 million in damages after the company claimed high-profile streamers used Warzone cheats from the site. However, EngineOwning continued to sell cheats for subsequent Call of Duty releases, prompting Activision to pursue further legal action.
While the court’s decision represents a significant win for Activision in its ongoing battle against cheaters and cheat makers, questions remain about the company’s ability to collect the awarded damages and effectively claim ownership of EngineOwning’s domain. At the time of this article’s publication, cheats and hardware ID (HWID) spoofers remain available for purchase on the EngineOwning website, which appears to operate outside the United States.
Activision’s legal offensive against EngineOwning is part of a broader effort by the publisher and other game companies to address the persistent issue of cheating and hacking in competitive multiplayer games, particularly in the popular Call of Duty franchise. The rulings against EngineOwning are intended to serve as a deterrent and set a precedent in the ongoing battle to maintain fair gameplay experiences for legitimate players.
As Activision prepares for the release of the highly anticipated Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 later this year, the company remains committed to combating cheating and ensuring a level playing field for all players in its multiplayer modes and the free-to-play battle royale Warzone.
