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Bungie won a $6,700,973.34 default judgment against Kunal Bansal in a federal lawsuit over software cheats for Destiny 2. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington entered the judgment on May 8, 2023, after Bansal failed to appear. It was not a jury verdict or a trial decision on every claim: the court excluded Bungie’s Washington Consumer Protection Act and unjust-enrichment claims from the default judgment.
How much did Bungie win?
The court entered judgment for exactly $6,700,973.34 in Bungie Inc. v. Bansal, case 2:21-cv-01111-TL. The total combined damages under federal law with attorney fees and costs; it was not one undifferentiated fine.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Destiny 2 - PlayStation 4 Standard Edition | $6.01 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Destiny - Standard Edition - PlayStation 4 | $15.60 | Buy on Amazon |
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Destiny 2 - Standard Edition | $9.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Destiny 2: Forsaken - Legendary Collection - PlayStation 4 | $8.52 | Buy on Amazon |
| Component | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| DMCA damages | $5,580,000 | $2,000 for each of 2,790 cheat downloads |
| Copyright statutory damages | $300,000 | Statutory copyright damages awarded by the court |
| Lanham Act damages | $579,270 | Damages awarded under the Lanham Act |
| Attorney fees and costs | $241,703.34 | Combined fees and costs |
| Total | $6,700,973.34 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, May 8, 2023 |
The court’s order explains the total and its components in its May 8, 2023 order.
Was the $6.7 million award from a trial?
No. Judge Tana Lin entered a default judgment after Bansal failed to appear. A default judgment is a court judgment entered when a defendant does not respond or participate as required; it is not a jury’s verdict after hearing both sides at trial.
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The judge wrote: “The Court finds that default judgment is appropriately entered in Bungie’s favor as to all but the CPA and unjust enrichment claims.” The court therefore entered judgment on the claims it allowed in default, while excluding the Washington Consumer Protection Act and unjust-enrichment claims. The order states: “The total award shall be entered in the amount of $6,700,973.34.”
Who was the Destiny 2 cheat-maker?
Contemporaneous reporting identified Bansal as the operator of LaviCheats, which marketed subscription-based hacks for multiplayer games, and reported that Bungie filed the federal case in Seattle in 2021. That background comes from GeekWire’s coverage; the court order is the source for the judgment and relief imposed.
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What did the court ban?
The court also issued a permanent injunction aimed at Bansal and specified people connected to him. It bars Bansal, people acting under his direction or control, and people acting in active concert or participation with him who receive notice of the injunction from engaging in specified conduct involving the covered Destiny 2 cheat software.
- Creating, distributing, marketing, reselling, promoting, selling, possessing or using the covered software.
- Processing payments for the covered software.
- Taking required steps to disable or remove certain social accounts.
- Transferring, destroying, disabling or removing the covered software as specified in the order.
The injunction’s scope is defined by the order’s named parties, notice requirements and covered software. It is not a general ruling against every cheat-maker or every kind of gaming software. The terms appear in the court’s permanent injunction.
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