Six people charged over fake ‘Pac-Man’ machines

Six people associated with a Santa Clara classic arcade machine company have been charged with making and selling counterfeit versions of “Pac-Man” and other video games, prosecutors said Thursday.

A Milpitas woman, her son, ex-husband and three other associates sold the unauthorized games from CoinOpStore at 3290 Victor St., according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

Chun Chu Chang, the 61-year-old Milpitas woman who owned the company; Kingsley Stewart Chang, 29, of Milpitas; Kung Teh Chang, 59, of Milpitas; Bruce Michael Burton, 39, of Sunnyvale; Ryan Loesch, 45, of Folsom; and James Chian Chen, 67, of Arcadia, all face 14 counts of felony counterfeiting.

Prosecutors said that between 2014 and this year, the suspects sold consoles that each contained between 60 and 3,000 counterfeited games that are registered trademarks of Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., which has its American headquarters in Santa Clara.

Deputy District Attorney Erica Engin said in a statement:

“These are thefts of ideas and innovation in Silicon Valley, the home of ideas and innovation.”

Proceeds from the sales includes more than $1.2 million in cash, a 2012 Mercedes-Benz, a 2015 BMW and five residential properties, items that are all subject to forfeiture, according to the district attorney’s office.

Chun Chu Chang, Kingsley Chang, Burton and Chen were arrested on July 13, while Loesch turned himself in to authorities on July 19. Kung Teh Chang allegedly lives in China now and remains at large, prosecutors said.

The defendants are due in court on Aug. 21 to enter a plea.