EA boss speaks out against suing file-sharers

Warns you don't win friends by suing your consumer

21 August 2008 19:31 GMT / By Verity Burns

EA Sports boss Peter Moore has spoken out against gaming companies suing internet users for illegally downloading their software.

Moore, talking at the Leipzig Games Convention, was commenting on the news that five games firms were fining 25,000 file-sharers £300 a piece.

"I'm not a huge fan of trying to punish your consumer," he said. "Albeit these people have clearly stolen intellectual property, I think there are better ways of resolving this within our power as developers and publishers".

Moore continued: "Yes, we've got to find solutions. We absolutely should crack down on piracy. People put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into their content and deserve to get paid for it. It's absolutely wrong, it is stealing.

"But at the same time I think there are better solutions than chasing people for money. I'm not sure what they are, other than to build game experiences that make it more difficult for there to be any value in pirating games."

Moore used the example of the music industry to show that there are hard lessons to be learned when it comes to attacking potential customers with lawsuits.

"If we learned anything from the music business, they just don't win any friends by suing their consumers," he observed. "Speaking personally, I think our industry does not want to fall foul of what happened with music."

Asked whether EA would be teaming up with the five firms to chase pirates down for cash, Moore said: "Not as far as I'm aware. Regarding what EA needs to do - I can't comment on that. EA takes piracy very seriously, and people deserve to get paid for content they create.

"But as far as I'm aware, we have no plans, that I know of, to partner with Atari and Codemasters and chase down consumers."