[Update, 19:15z]: We've been notified that JARDesign has received an answer from simMarket letting them know that the products have been removed. They have not responded to our request for comment. The article has been updated accordingly.

Earlier today, two new Airbus airliners appeared on the simMarket store. These aircraft were developed under the name 'Well-off', and both retailed for €20.00.

However, it has emerged that simMarket has allegedly allowed hacked versions of JARDesign's aircraft to be sold on their store.

The product pages of the 'Well-off' products that were being sold

JARDesign contacted us regarding the issue, and explains not only are the 'Well-off' renditions derivatives of their work, but also claims simMarket has allowed the resale of the products with malicious code embedded in hacked plug-in files:

"The hacked version contains the original aircraft, textures and object files (with link to JARDesign in description acf tags) and hacked plug-in files with malicious code embedded," Evgeny Romanov told us.

"Of course, we did not launch this aircraft in order to avoid a malicious attack on the computer from modified plugins. We do not recommend the same to those who bought these "WELL-OFF" hacked products. Instead, you should contact the seller with a request for a refund."

Evgeny continued by warning users of hacked products, and says they have not received any response from simMarket:

"We have repeatedly warned users that the use of hacked products is fraught not only with the danger of breaking the law in terms of licenses, but also with the danger of launching hacked plug-ins in which the code has been changed for malicious purposes and can do any job - from stealing money from bank accounts, collection of personal data and so on. So, please be careful!

"Surprisingly, what after a few hours, JARDesign still has not received an answer to his requests - neither from the SIMMARKET internal support service, nor directly from the head of the SIMMARKET. Also, after a few hours, hacked products are still available for download from the order page."

As at 16:30z, simMarket have responded directly to JARDesign regarding piracy accusations, saying:

"Hello - we are sorry for this situation. As you may understand we receive many products [on] a regular basis and it's impossible to know all the details about it. As [soon] as we know that we have that kind of issues [sic], we remove the product from the store and suspend or remove the developer.

"We don't want this kind of products [sic] on our store and we are here [to] defend our vendor's products. Products have been removed from our store. Once again, sorry for the trouble."

A snippet of code in the 'Well-off' a320neo.acf file

Section 3, paragraph U of Conditions for the Sale of Products via simMarket state that "the Seller [developer] guarantees that the products it has suggested for marketing on the Platform are free from rights of third parties and that it is authorized to distribute them worldwide."

However, it is not mentioned anywhere in any terms and conditions that simMarket can hold themselves responsible for such violations, thereby bringing into question the practices of the store.

Moreover, simMarket has been involved in other questionable sales practices in the past, such as allowing the sale of an airport requiring a multitude of free libraries:

GB Addons EGFF - Cardiff Airport X-Plane 11, which was sold briefly about 14 months ago

Since Threshold brought the accusations to light, High Sky Tech has decided to remove their products from simMarket's platform. Making the announcement on the development thread of their weather plugin xAmbience, developer Egor cited our article and assured customers that those who purchased the product on simMarket will continue to receive support and further updates on all of their products.

simMarket has not responded to Threshold's request for comment.