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Nerds Face Lawsuit Over 'Dungeons & Dragons' Handbook



'Dungeons & Dragons' -- the calling card of the nerd. Hunched over a table with pen and paper in hand, 'D&D' dorks spend hours, days, and, in some cases, years of their lives battling beasts and hunting for treasure in that most magical of realms: Mom's basement. When it comes to creating the perfect avatar, these folks are ruthless and dedicated. A 'D&D' enthusiast might let you steal a candy bar during his shift at the 7/11, but try and take some of his loot, and you'll face the fury of his mighty (imaginary) swords and arrows.

While they're probably battle-tested in what many consider to be the first RPG, eight nerds are about to find out if their powers hold up in the courtroom. According to MSNBC, Wizards of the Coast LLC is slapping eight devoted 'D&D' players with copyright infringement lawsuits, alleging that the crew illegally posted the newest 'D&D' handbook online for others to download and view for free. It doesn't sound like a dice roll and high ability points will save these nerds, either. The online handbooks feature electronic watermarks that forbid the use of copyright material in this manner. The three lawsuits, which were filed in Seattle's U.S. District Court, seek unspecified damages for illegal downloads of more than 2,600 copies of 'Player's Handbook 2.' There were over 4,200 views of the handbook on Scribd.com before Wizards of the Coast had it removed.

As for those named in the lawsuit, we think it is a simple case of nerds becoming mad with power. With all those imaginary treasures, weapons, and magic spells, the eight may have believed they could not be stopped. Looks like Wizards of the Coast is out to prove otherwise. In the end, we imagine the eight will flee to their lairs, tails tucked between their legs, to lick their wounds. [From: MSNBC]

Tags: court, dungeons and dragaons, DungeonsAndDragaons, games, lawsuit, nerds, rpg, top

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