Play Meter Vol.09 No.03 (February 15, 1983)

This issue documents one of the first (if not THE first) instance of an individual getting in trouble for game piracy. Pages 22-23 have the story of Larry Kruckenberg, who in 1982 was taken to court by Midway for producing bootleg versions of Pac-Man. Midway received an injunction, and Kruckenberg was told to stop producing Pac-Man games. One year later, in 1983, Midway hauled Kruckenberg back into court, alleging that he was up to his old tricks by making counterfeit Ms. Pac-Man machines.

Kruckenberg argued in his defense that the injunction only barred him from bootlegging Pac-Man, and that since Ms. Pac-Man was a different game, he should not be charged with contempt for violating the injunction. The court did not see things his way, and sentenced him to six months in prison.