CSGO pro Jamppi sued wrong company over Valve VAC ban

Professional CS:GO player, Elias ‘Jamppi’ Olkkonen, currently engaged in a legal battle over his ban from Valve-sponsored tournaments due to a VAC ban, apparently sued the wrong company in pursuing damages.[jwplayer c30d8Kdj]

The 18-year-old player is hoping to see his Major tournament ban lifted, as well as seeking €268,092 in compensation for earnings missed out on due to the punishment.

Valve responded to the lawsuit in May 2020, and their response has been obtained by Finnish website Ilta-Sanomat.

The company that Jamppi sued, and who responded, was Valve GmbH – not Valve Corporation. Valve Corp is the company founded in 1996 that owns and operates Counter-Strike, while Valve GmbH is a subsidiary founded in 2016.

In their response, Valve GmbH rejected Olkkonen’s complaint on all grounds, stating that he has brought an action against the “wrong company” and on “the wrong grounds.”

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Valve GmbH is focused on manufacturing and technology, not on the software of games made by Valve, and “does not own or manage the CS game or its licenses in any way.” The German company was not even around at the time of the VAC ban in question, in 2015.

Additionally, according to the response, the District Court of Eastern Uusimaa has no jurisdiction to hear the case because Valve GmbH is based in Germany, and does not conduct any business in Finland.

The reply also states that the claim for damages of over 250,000 Euros is also unfounded, because the company cannot be responsible for a third party organization not entering an employment contract with Jamppi.

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Valve GmbH argues that “The district court should therefore dismiss the case as inadmissible before incurring further legal costs.”

Jamppi, who plays for ENCE, remains ineligible to compete in CS:GO Majors, because a Steam account previously associated with him was VAC banned in 2015.

The player claims that he had not been using the account at that time, and is hoping his tournament ban can be lifted now that he is performing at the highest level.