Nexon-Ironmace 'Dark and Darker' Copyright Dispute Heads to Supreme Court

Damages Reduced in Second Trial
Both Sides File Appeals

The legal battle between Nexon and Ironmace over the copyright of the online game 'Dark and Darker' is now headed to the Supreme Court.

'Dark and Darker'. Provided by Ironmace

According to the gaming industry on December 26, Nexon has filed an appeal against Ironmace with the court.

Previously, on December 4, the Civil Division 5 of the Seoul High Court ruled in the appellate trial for the injunction lawsuit filed by Nexon Korea against Ironmace and its CEO, Mr. Choi, regarding trade secret and copyright infringement. The court ordered the defendants to pay 5,764,640,000 won to the plaintiff. This amount is about 2.8 billion won less than the first trial’s order of approximately 8.5 billion won.

The court interpreted the scope of Nexon's trade secrets infringed by Ironmace more broadly than the first trial. However, it reduced the damages, stating that the actual scale of the damage was not significant. It is understood that both Nexon and Ironmace reviewed the possibility of an appeal immediately after the ruling and ultimately decided to seek a Supreme Court judgment.

Previously, Nexon filed civil and criminal lawsuits in 2021 against Mr. Choi, who had worked as the head of the 'Project P3' development team in the new development division. Nexon claimed that Mr. Choi leaked source code and data to a personal server, established Ironmace using the stolen materials, and then created 'Dark and Darker.' The legal dispute has continued for four years.

Meanwhile, Ironmace is also expected to submit an appeal on this day. In a statement, Ironmace said, "'Dark and Darker' is an original game developed solely by our developers without using any materials or information from Nexon," adding, "We will continue our legal dispute with Nexon to prove our legitimacy and integrity until the end. We look forward to a fair and wise final decision from the Supreme Court."