Discord and a video game company are embroiled in a conflict over the unmasking of users.
In a recent development, a court case in Texas has been the centre of attention, involving Nexon Korea Corporation and Discord, the popular messaging platform. However, it's important to clarify that the current status of the copyright infringement court case primarily pertains to Nexon's lawsuit against Ironmace, a separate developer connected to former Nexon employees, rather than Discord itself.
Nexon filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in the United States in July 2025, claiming that the game Dark and Darker, developed by Ironmace, infringed upon assets and ideas related to Nexon's internally developed but unreleased game project P3. The lawsuit followed allegations that one former Nexon developer leaked P3 assets and encouraged team members to leave Nexon to work on a similar game. Ironmace denies the allegations, asserting the game was created independently with original Unreal Engine assets and handmade code.
The dispute between Nexon Korea Corporation and Discord, on the other hand, revolves around a subpoena issued under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The subpoena orders Discord to provide information to identify users behind allegedly infringing posts. Discord's attorneys have argued that the subpoena is overbroad and requires Discord to act as another company's copyright enforcer.
Nexon has asked the court to order Discord to comply with the order and turn over identifying information about the "wanted infringers." Discord's attorneys, however, have stated that they had produced the requested information on June 13, 2024. Despite this, Nexon claims that Discord hasn't filed the motion to quash the subpoena in a timely manner.
In response, Discord's attorneys are prepared to file a motion asking the court to quash the subpoena. The correspondence between Nexon Korea Corporation and Discord's attorneys is about the disputed subpoena. Discord's attorneys believe that Nexon is attempting to renegotiate a deal that has already been struck and fulfilled.
It's worth noting that Discord's attorneys have previously responded to an "overly broad and unduly burdensome subpoena" issued in October 2023 and turned over information related to 64 of its users. The dispute between the two parties continues, with Nexon pressing Discord to comply with the subpoena and Discord preparing to file a motion to quash it.
Nexon Korea Corporation is responsible for various video games, including MapleStory, MapleStory2, Sudden Attack, The Kingdom of the Winds, Dungeon & Fighter, Grand Chase, and Elsword. The company is known for its extensive library of popular online games, but the current dispute with Discord has raised questions about user privacy and the role of online platforms in copyright enforcement.
The court filing regarding this matter was first reported by TorrentFreak. As the situation develops, it will be interesting to see how this dispute between Nexon Korea Corporation and Discord unfolds.
- The ongoing dispute between Nexon Korea Corporation and Discord revolves around a subpoena issued under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), with Discord's attorneys prepared to file a motion asking the court to quash the subpoena.
- Gizmodo reported on the court filing, mentioning that this dispute, which pertains to user privacy and the role of online platforms in copyright enforcement, has raised significant questions about the future of technology and tech companies' responsibilities in these matters.
