Tencent has reportedly won the lawsuit against game-boosting service Aidai Network Technology over the case of unfair competition and providing leveling programs. The Jiangsu-based company offers mobile game leveling services via the ESports Help app and has three to four hundred thousand registered customers.
Aidai claimed that game-boosting services exist because of market demand
The Jiangsu Provincial High Court heard the second-instance trial of Tencent’s unfair competition complaint against the platform on April 21, 2023. The court of first instance ruled that Jiangsu Aidai Network Technology engaged in unfair competition and ordered the company to stop supplying services to Tencent’s popular title Honor of Kings, especially to minors.
Simultaneously, the plaintiff has reimbursed 600,000 Chinese Yuan, and a statement was issued to mitigate the impact. However, Aidai Company outright refused to accept the first-instance judgment and filed an appeal. This was denied by the second-instance trial, which upheld the original judgment.
Aidai’s argument was that the game leveling services have been on the scene for a while now as an objective market demand and that laws and regulations have never forbidden them. This, however, was not received on a positive note from the panel.
Game-boosting services go against Tencent’s anti-addiction policies
Game boosting or leveling up services gives players a shortcut to fast boost their scores and ranks, but it also impacts the game’s fairness and may bypass the anti-addiction system. Tencent is a huge advocate of anti-addiction policies and has taken numerous steps to combat mobile game addiction.
To battle the same, a system was implemented in Tencent’s two popular games recently, Honor of Kings and Peacekeeper Elite. This system was for minors to control in-app spending. Hence, it will come as no surprise if Tencent gets into legal disputes in the future if similar scenarios arise again.
What are your thoughts on Tencent winning the lawsuit against game-boosting service Aidai Network Technology? Do let us know in the comments below!
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