OSAKA -- The Osaka High Court on Thursday overturned an October 1999 Osaka District Court order barring chain store Act Inc. in Okayama Prefecture from selling secondhand computer games, a decision that echoes a Tokyo High Court ruling rendered Tuesday.
The overturned ruling also applied to one of Act's franchise shop owners in Hyogo Prefecture.
The ban had been sought by six software developers -- Konami Co., Capcom Co., Square Co., Sega Enterprises Ltd., Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and Namco Ltd. -- on grounds that game software is a theatrical product for which they are guaranteed the right to control distribution under the Copyright Law.