Chinese Copyright Bureau Helps Raw Thrills Smash Pirated Videogame

SKOKIE, IL -- All manufacturers in China that that have been known to be making counterfeit Raw Thrills videogames have reportedly been shut down. According to an announcement by Raw Thrills Inc., its China IP protection team, which includes the law firm Simone IP Services (SIPS), the Chinese Copyright Bureau in Panyu and former FBI special agent Bob Fay, spearheaded the crackdown.

Raw Thrills, based here, learned about the counterfeit games after receiving numerous service calls, primarily in Asian markets, along with information provided by some operators. From there, the company deduced that both buyers and sellers were involved in wrongdoing and subjected them to legal action. The maker of the Fast and the Furious and Big Buck Hunter videogame series began a global antipiracy campaign a year ago. | SEE STORY

"These [counterfeit] games are of extremely low quality, do not conform to U.S. and international electrical and safety standards, are unreliable and have no warranty," said Raw Thrills sales manager Mark Struhs. "In addition, it is a violation of U.S. and international law to sell, buy, own or operate them. We will continue to monitor the situation at home and abroad, and prosecute without reservation."

According to Struhs, Raw Thrills' investigators approached a counterfeit game seller who handed over a customer list. "So then we seized games and collected damages from the buyers and middlemen," he said.

Anyone with information about suppliers, operators or locations selling or running Raw Thrills counterfeit videogames is encouraged to contact Mark Struhs at sales@rawthrills.com.