Federal Law Enforcement Charges Los Angeles-Area Game Store Owners

December 20, 2005 � Washington, DC � The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) today applauded the federal government�s crackdown on a major pirate game retailer in the Los Angeles area. After raiding ACME Game Store on Melrose Avenue, law enforcement officials charged the two store owners and a third man with both conspiring to commit criminal copyright infringement and to traffic in a technology used to circumvent a copyright protection system.

�We thank these government agencies for their commitment to combating intellectual property theft, and we will do whatever we can to support a successful prosecution of those charged in this pirate ring,� said Douglas Lowenstein, president of ESA, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. �Our industry will continue to support all government efforts to fight game piracy in its many different forms.�

The three men charged in the complaint were ACME Game Store co-owner Jason Jones, 34, of Los Angeles; ACME Game Store co-owner Jonathan Bryant, 44, of Los Angeles; and, Pei �Patrick� Cai, 32, of Pico Rivera. According to the federal criminal complaint, co-owners Jones and Bryant sold modified Xbox consoles pre-loaded with copyrighted games out of their Melrose Avenue store.� The consoles were modified by Cai out of his home, which was also raided by federal authorities.�

The federal action was carried out through the joint participation of the United States Attorney�s Office for the Central District of California and the United States Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (�ICE�).�

Trafficking in a technology that circumvents the copyright protections systems used by game publishers to protect their intellectual property rights violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).� The DMCA, which was enacted in 1998, prohibits the manufacture and distribution of products or services that circumvent technological protection measures designed to prevent unauthorized access to and copying of copyrighted materials.

The ESA is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. ESA members collectively account for more than 90 percent of the ＄7.3 billion in entertainment software sales in the U.S. in 2004, and billions more in export sales of entertainment software.� For more information about the ESA, please visit www.theESA.com.