Three leading video game publishers filed suit against software maker 321 Studios on Tuesday, claiming, as the major movie studios have already done, that 321's products allow for the illegal copying of CDs and DVDs.
Electronic Arts Inc., Atari Inc. and Vivendi Universal Games filed suit in federal court in Manhattan, saying that 321's "Games X Copy" software allows users to make perfect copies of their game discs in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
The major movie studios and anti-copying software company Macrovision Corp. have already won injunctions against 321 blocking the sale of its DVD-copying programs.
A spokeswoman for the company was not available to comment on the suit.
Earlier this month, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the company had laid off more than 300 staff and was down to around 50 people.
The suit said that by making what 321 says is a "perfect backup copy" of any game disc, the software supports piracy and potential copyright violations.
The suit seeks an injunction against the further sale of "Games X Copy," the recall of versions in stores now and the destruction or surrender of all copies of the program.