Activision’s Secret War Against Pirates

That leaves physical copies, and Activision must have had the defendants dead to rights, since almost everyone settled for $100,000, except for one who woman settled for $1,000. Only one defendant had representation. After looking at the court documents, it's clear that the story is the same in almost every case: the papers are filed, the defendant agrees to pay, and it's all over.

The gaming site cleverly named GameCyte claims to have spoken to two of the defendants, and the details provided are even odder. "Audibly shaken, our contact explained how he was scared into a costly settlement by attorneys who determined how much to sue based not on the actual material infringed, but on his purchase history, the equity on his home, and the number of cars in his driveway," the site reported. "If he were to get an attorney, he was informed, he would have to pay even more."