Ubisoft stands accused of torrenting its own music in order to compile an official soundtrack for the digital deluxe edition of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.
According to Reddit, the soundtrack's MP3s were first encoded as FLAC files by someone who goes by the name of arsa13. This information points one to the logical conclusion that somebody at Ubisoft decided to torrent the soundtrack and convert the tunes to MP3s, rather than use the original source files.
The best thing about all this is the fact that Ubisoft has come under fire for its oppressive DRM measures and has made no secret about its commitment to combating software piracy. That it has been caught potentially pirating its own material is quite, quite funny.
Ubisoft is apparently looking into the matter. It's also building a big glass house to throw stones in.
Ubisoft re-selling torrented music? [Eurogamer]
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Contest:
9:20 AM on 03.16.2011 | 
You know what I don't have a word in my vocabulary that can describe how stupid this is.
It's stupid to be sure, considering they no doubt have access to the original recordings, but piracy it ain't.
The act of "torrenting" is not the crime. It's simply a method of data transfer. The crime is downloading something you don't have the RIGHT to use.
"potentially pirating its own material" - is impossible. You can't "pirate" it if it's yours.
I'm fairly sure Ubisoft has the right to use the AssCream soundtrack.
I mean at work if our US office wanted to send us a massive file and we (for some reason) did it via a torrent, does that make my company pirates?
If I needed some files for work, which I could either spend time encoding and whatever, but someone else had already done that and put it on the web somewhere, I would just pull those too, rather than duplicate that work.
This is silly.
I'm all against intrusive DRM and whatnot, but this story is nothing more than funny, funny that the easiest way to get their own soundtrack was from the pirates.
Sure, it perhaps highlights that their DRM isn't working, but it sure as hell doesn't make them Pirates.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYq2d7iKKhk
You're adorable though.
what exactly is the meaning of being accused of torrenting? its just a way of sharing files as high speed.
in the end we may even find out that the arsa13 was a ubisoft employee that decided to share the OST with the fans before it was even decided that they would release it as part of a special edition and then just reused its prior work to make the mp3 files for the deluxe edition. or maybe not.
Just took "ha ha ubisfot are pirates" from the piece.
When, thinking about it, it's actually quite clever, letting pirates do some of the work for you is almost like getting your own back, just a tiny little bit.
Piracy is a very serious accusation considering the impact it has on the industry. One doesn't toss around that accusation lightly and not expect people to point out when it's obviously in error.
Also, one could look at it an entirely different way. As in, the funny part is that Ubi is taking the efforts of a lowlife thief who stole their property, and making lots of money off those efforts while he gets jack shit. THAT is the kind of irony that gives me a good chuckle.
It's not irony if there's nothing going on.... People use torrents for legitimate purposes all the time. I know yer on this huge anti-piracy kick, which I suppose I could understand (despite you having no real stake in it), but when people torrent things they legitimately own, there is nothing underhanded going on, therefore there is no irony against a company that is so against piracy themselves.
Also I think the idea that they wouldn't make the OST's out of the master sound files kinda terrible. Its bad enough we got itunes selling us crappy quality mp3's but now we got Ubisoft doing it as well.
Something tells me whoever did this "job" is just a lazy sob and is gonna get fired over this.
They just have lazy workers that's the real story.
It's like a more subtle version of someone taking the source code for DooM, converting it to run on, say, Dreamcast, and then having ID turn around and release that version of DooM on Dreamcast without crediting the guy who did the conversion.
Just because they owned the original work does not give them free reign to do what they like with derivative work. They can shut it down or stop the distribution of the work, but they can't turn around and sell it.
It IS piracy, guys. A really obscure form of it, but under the law it technically applies.
I can't remember what game it was, but there was this one game where the developers actually used a cracked version that fixed the problem they had with the game instead of releasing their own.
Instead of just using their own source files. Ubisoft downloaded a pirated file that was ripped from their own source files.
They didnt pirate the file. They downloaded a pirated file which they happen to own the copyright for. Just because they own the copyright for it doesnt mean it isnt a pirated file in the first place.
And still funny.
How do I know they have right to that music, looks like an unofficial copy so it’s piracy.
I expect everyone at Ubisoft to email there resignation to me by the end of the day or I will have to file a lawsuit against them for braking their own polices again using torrent’s.
Waiting for the emails……
The RIAA has previously claimed that ripping a CD you own to mp3 is illegal:
http://www.switched.com/2007/12/11/riaa-claims-ripping-cds-for-personal-use-is-illegal/
it. That doesn't mean their lawyers won't argue it isn't public domain due to their copyright.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/07/18/ubisoft-having-a-crack/
And the reply comments include that Ubisoft's solution to problematic Starforce in Silent Hunter III involves telling users to search the net for a Silent Hunter III No-DVD patch.
http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/857101043/m/5941041408
For all their anti-piracy measures, Ubisoft certainly seems willing to take advantage of cracking groups when they need for their own reasons to circumvent their own security measures.
I hope they at least offer arsa13 a job.