Tencent tells Chinese court it owns all virtual coins, other merchandise acquired by players in its video games
- Tencent has sued DD373.com, which runs an in-game item trading platform, for US$6.2 million in damages at the Guangzhou Internet Court
- The internet giant argues that it is the sole owner of virtual goods acquired by players in its video games
Shenzhen-based Tencent, which runs the world’s largest video games business by revenue and China’s biggest social media platform WeChat, has sued DD373.com at the Guangzhou Internet Court to claim 40.17 million yuan (US$6.2 million) in damages for enabling players of Dungeon Fighter Online to trade virtual coins and other in-game merchandise on its site.
In a seven-hour trial that was broadcast live via China Court Trial Online on April 8, Tencent argued these in-game merchandise, such as potions that players acquire over the course of playing the game, have no material value in real life and that it remains the sole owner, based on the game’s terms and conditions.
The company, which is the publisher of Dungeon Fighter Online, said players can use the items in the game, but have no right to trade them. It also argued that virtual coins, which players buy with real money to exchange for other in-game items, are effectively service charges.
The Guangzhou court has not yet made its ruling. The trial has been viewed more than two million times online.