Blizzard sues private World of Warcraft server for “large-scale, egregious, and ongoing infringement of Blizzard’s intellectual property”
Blizzard Entertainment has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Project Ascension, a private World of Warcraft server with over a million players. According to court documents submitted on June 12 in California, Blizzard accuses the creators of copyright infringement, racketeering, and illegal profiteering.
Blizzard’s legal team alleges that Project Ascension operators have “distributed (and are continuing to distribute) millions of pirated copies of Blizzard’s copyrighted World of Warcraft game software” and characterizes their operation as “a lucrative way to exploit and profit from the popularity of the WoW game experience.” The company claims the defendants have “built an entire business on large-scale, egregious, and ongoing infringement of Blizzard’s intellectual property” and that the operation has “caused significant and irreparable harm to Blizzard.”
This lawsuit mirrors Blizzard’s previous legal action against Turtle WoW creators, filed last year. The case suggests Blizzard is taking an active stance against unauthorized servers operating with its intellectual property. Private servers have long been contentious in the gaming industry, as they allow players to access modified versions of games without paying official channels. Blizzard’s action indicates the company views Project Ascension’s scale—with its million-plus player base and alleged multi-million-dollar revenue stream—as significant enough to warrant legal intervention.