The Week in Review

This week we learn that China takes piracy seriously, Curt Schilling points a finger or two at the Rhode Island Governor and South Korea turns the tables on Blizzard and raids them.

China: We’re Beating the Pirates

The Business Software Alliance recently declared China the world’s worst offender when it comes to software piracy. Current numbers from the BSA say China has a piracy rate of 77%, a 2% drop from 2009’s numbers, and that it’s cost the software industry some £5.7 billion. China, however, says it’s got its peg-legged, parrot-owner infestation under control. State-run newspaper, China Daily, reported that, according to consultancy, China Labs, the rate of software piracy in the nation dropped to 38% in 2011. (Link)

Curt Schilling Points Finger at Rhode Island Governor

Curt Schilling, the former Red Sox ace who founded 38 Studios in 2006, hasn’t had much to say about its rapid spiral downward over the past month. He’s kept quiet so far in order to avoid upsetting “sensitive” efforts to save the company, but now he’s speaking out, and he doesn’t have many good things to say about his erstwhile business partner. “The Governor is not operating in the best interest of the company by any stretch, or the taxpayers, or the state,” Schilling told the Providence Journal. (Link)

Xbox 360 Owns Nearly Half of Console Market

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Chief Marketing Officer, claims that Xbox 360 makes up 47% of the total console market, attributing that success to both the Kinect and Xbox LIVE. Xbox LIVE alone claims more than 40 million members, and Mehdi’s figures put retail sales of the 360 since launch at more than $56 billion. “To date,” said Mehdi, outlining plans for the future, “our success with Xbox has been led by a box in the living room…With Xbox on Windows 8 devices, we rapidly accelerate the reach of Xbox entertainment from more than 60 million people to hundreds of millions of people worldwide.” (Link)

The Iron Patriot Joins Iron Man 3

If you think the Iron Patriot armor looks like a mash-up of Iron Man and Captain America, you’re not wrong. The suit was “designed” by Norman Osborn, AKA the Green Goblin, who, after being installed as the head of the government-sanctioned post-“Civil War” Avengers by the forgiving magic of comic books, decided that the best way to earn the trust and love of the public was to slap it in the face with a big dose of heavy-handed symbolism. So he grabbed an old Iron Man suit out of Tony Stark’s closet, painted it up in the Cap’s colors and put it on in the name of truth, justice and all that other good stuff. (Link)

Korean Officials Raid Blizzard

Blizzard’s been taking a lot of guffola over Diablo 3, but nowhere is the ride rougher than in South Korea, where an investigation into possible violations of the country’s electronic commerce and commercial contracts laws is being carried out by the country’s Fair Trade Commission. The FTC actually raided Blizzard’s offices earlier this week, seizing documents and other evidence as it seeks to determine whether or not any laws have been broken. (Link)