Nintendo issues copyright warning

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Nintendo issues copyright warning

Nintendo accused a Korean game maker yesterday of copying a character from its hit “Legend of Zelda” series.
In a statement released through its Korean distributor Daiwon C.I., the Japanese game giant said a character in Webzen’s new online game “Wiki” looks a lot like Link, the hero of “Legend of Zelda.”
Nintendo said it was taking “natural steps” in protecting its intellectual rights and that it would “seek appropriate measures at the appropriate time.”
Jeong Hyuk-jin, Nintendo’s spokesperson here, said that it was the first time that Nintendo has addressed design copyright issues in Korea, and that the statement was a clear warning.
“Japanese people have a way of being very vague, but headquarters told us that it would take legal measures if the character design remains the same,” he said. “The images of the two characters are too similar.”
Webzen, however, said that Nintendo’s claims were unfounded.
“We are still in the middle of developing the game, which will begin closed testing services in December,” said spokesman Choi Hyun-woo. “At a recent event, we had a short presentation of our ongoing projects. The character screenshot that is being circulated on the Internet currently was just a sample.”
Unlike in the “Legend of Zelda,” the hero of “Wiki” does not have a fixed image; players create choose hairstyles, clothes and facial features. “The number of variables are in the tens of thousands,” Mr. Choi said.


by Wohn Dong-hee
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