By Quinton Miles

Tecmo announced today that they have filed a lawsuit in federal court against hackers on an internet message board. Filed in Chicago, the suit alleges that website administrators Mike Greiling and Will Glynn, among numerous others, are responsible for creating and hosting content on their forums to illegally infiltrate some of the company’s key titles like [i]Ninja Gaiden[/i] and [i]Dead or Alive Ultimate[/i].

“We are known for being a technological leader in the video game industry, and we clearly support and respect the innovations which push the boundaries of gaming. However, we believe it is our duty to uphold the integrity of our work,” John Inada, General Manager for Tecmo, said. “Hacking of this kind will not be tolerated and we intend to take all necessary measures to protect our intellectual property.”

“On behalf of the game industry, the gamers and all future innovations in gaming, the protection of intellectual property is a serious issue that affects everyone in the game industry, and can no longer be ignored,” Inada said. “Ignoring the situation will ultimately hurt future gaming experiences for both casual and hardcore gamers, which is why Tecmo must take action to protect our intellectual property.”

Tecmo is actively pursuing other offenders in the case, and is charging the current defendants with a host of charges which range from copyright infringement to violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.