Unlike Palworld, Dark and Darker Isn’t Being Sued for Copyright Infringement but It Still Gets Fined of around $6 Million

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Unlike Palworld, Dark and Darker Isn’t Being Sued for Copyright Infringement but It Still Gets Fined of around $6 Million

In case you didn’t know, Ironmace and Nexon, the companies behind Dark and Darker and The First Descendant, are locked in a legal battle. Well up until the recent verdict on February 13, 2025. But despite the court reaching a verdict, the battle isn’t over for either side.

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For once it’s a lawsuit not involving Nintendo. | Image Credit: Ironmace

A South Korean court ruled that while Ironmace did not infringe on Nexon’s copyright, it did, however, use Nexon’s trade secrets during the development of Dark and Darker. As a result, Ironmace has been ordered to pay Nexon 8.5 billion won (approximately $5.9 million) in damages.

Dark and Darker is here to stay as the Korean court reaches a verdict

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It’s a win-loss for the developers. | Image Credit: Ironmace

Nexon first filed its lawsuit against Ironmace in 2021, claiming that the studio’s founders, who previously worked on Project P3, had stolen proprietary data to develop Dark and Darker. The company alleged that a former employee had leaked essential project files before forming Ironmace and making the dungeon-crawling PvPvE title.

NEXON vs IRONMACE lawsuit ruling was today:

• Dark and Darker not guilty of copyright, but of trade-secret damage
• IRONMACE fined $5.9M USD (~$690k in March 2024, rest in June); and to cover 80% of legal costs for the case.

Story of employee mobility and project boundaries.

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— PlayerIGN (@PlayerIGN)

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After all this time, the court ruled on February 13, 2025, that Dark and Darker did not violate copyright law (via

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). The difference between copyright infringement and trade secret infringement played a key role in the case. Copyright infringement would have meant that Dark and Darker directly copied protected creative elements from P3, but since P3 never made it to market, the court dismissed this claim.

Dark and Darker first came onto our radar in 2023 during its alpha-testing phase. However, Nexon’s legal action led to the game’s removal from Steam in March of that year. Ironmace responded by distributing the game via BitTorrent, which turned into an unexpected marketing success. And many fans’ and our joy, the game returned to Steam in June 2024 after a South Korean court dismissed Nexon’s preliminary injunction.

IRONMACE IS FREEEEE
Pumping brakes tweet:

Ironmace still has the REST of the lawsuit to deal with which will probably take years, but no evidence of p3 being submitted by

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means they got ***** to stand on and Dark and Darker will likely be back on steam SOON

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— Onepeg (@OnepegMG)

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Ironmace has stated that it respects the court’s decision but has not yet confirmed whether it will appeal the ruling. The nearly $6 million fine is a big amount, but it is not a fatal one. But all may not be over yet.

We hear lawsuits these days and just think of Nintendo

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But it has nothing to do with them this time. | Image Credit: Ironmace

The ruling should give us a sigh of relived, but Nexon has hinted at appealing the decision. In a statement following the verdict, the company expressed satisfaction that the court recognized the economic impact of Ironmace’s actions but suggested that further legal action could follow. The legal battle between the two companies may not be over.

The Dark and Darker case could be compared to Nintendo’s ongoing lawsuit against Palworld, which is facing allegations of patent infringement from Nintendo. But while Palworld’s legal issues involve direct accusations of copying game mechanics and assets, Dark and Darker’s case was about trade secrets rather than copies of assets.

Despite the legal setback, there are no obstacles stopping Ironmace from continuing the development of its game. The studio has even partnered with PUBG developer Krafton to bring Dark and Darker to mobile. So let’s all get back to enjoying our time playing it.

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#Palworld #Dark #Darker #Isnt #Sued #Copyright #Infringement #Fined #Million

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