Ars Technica and several other tech blogs have their take.

The usually staid world of professional-grade flight simulations was rocked by controversy over the weekend, with fans accusing mod developer FlightSimLabs (FSLabs) of distributing “malware” with an add-on package for Lockheed Martin’s popular Prepar3d simulation. The developer insists the hidden package was intended as an anti-piracy tool but has removed what it now acknowledges was a “heavy-handed” response to the threat of people stealing its add-on.

The controversy started Sunday when Reddit user crankyrecursion noticed that FSLabs’ Airbus A320-X add-on package was setting off his antivirus scanner. FSLabs had already recommended users turn off their antivirus protectionwhen installing the add-on, so this wasn’t an isolated issue.

FSLabs may potentially be in legal trouble. How this affects their future development efforts (including the A320-X Cockpit or Professional edition) remains to be seen.