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Recently, Capcom was the victim of a data leak. The ransomware breach occurred in November of 2020 and a bevy of private information and files were spilled onto the world wide web for all to see. Judy A. Juracek, a designer, came to find that mixed among the various bits of data floating around were a number of her photographs used across a range of Capcom video games. From Resident Evil 4 to Devil May Cry, hi-res image files had been seemingly pulled from the CD-ROM version of her 1996 book, Surfaces, for a myriad of different purposes. Here is an example of one of the over 200 alleged unauthorized appropriations of Juracek’s work:
As the diagram (courtesy of VGC) illustrates, the texture that fills the “4” in the Resident Evil 4 logo appears to be lifted directly from image G079, which is a closeup photo of shattered glass. There are multiple other images that Juracek has assembled offering similar examples and, unless this is all one massive coincidence, it looks like there is credence to her claims. Indeed, some of the image files from the Capcom leak even share the exact same file name as their counterparts in the Surfaces CD. Juracek is seeking $12 million in damages. She is also asking for between $2,500 to $25,000 in additional monies for each photo that was utilized without permission.
Capcom has stated that it is aware of the situation but has given a firm “no comment” beyond that.
Source: VGC
