140°

Blizzard attempt to kill WoW bot bad news for copyright law

World of WarCraft is a game made of many parts: resource gathering, combat, item-creation... and some of those parts are more fun than others. A company called MDY wanted to help with the dull bits of the game, and maybe assist gold farmers a little bit, by releasing a program called Glider that allows your character to continue collecting gold and leveling while you're not at your computer. In 2006, Blizzard and Vivendi showed up at an MDY employee's home and threatened legal action against the company, claiming Glider violates the Terms of Service of World of Warcraft as well as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. MDY then sued to establish its right to sell its software, causing Blizzard to file its own suit to stop MDY from selling the program. The issue is whether or not Glider is breaking any laws, and Blizzard is hoping that by stretching the boundaries of what constitutes copyright infringement, it can get MDY shut down. If Blizzard succeeds, it could set a very dangerous precedent.

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arstechnica.com
JoelR6257d ago

Perfect Summation:
"attempt to use contract to alter and displace those aspects of copyright law it does not like, while using copyright penalties to construe and enforce the terms of that alteration, is untenable, and the Court should not endorse it."

permutated6257d ago

So...gamers are too lazy to do their own grinding, so they pay a company to do it, and it's somehow bad that Blizzard is trying to shut that company down?

I don't think people who cheat...er...I'm sorry, pay other companies to game for them deserve to be called gamers.

Lazy asses. I don't even like WOW, but I hope Blizzard shuts this company down.

andron6257d ago

They could offer cheap bots of their own and shut those companies down...

It would remedy the grinding and the external bot selling problem.

TheIneffableBob6257d ago

But at the same time, it would remove the point of the game: playing it.

Muddyalcapones6257d ago

because then you run into the moral delima of richer gamers getting a better/easier experience. It's like the problem of FPS' that let you buy better guns: it creates an uneven playing field and cheapens the overall experience.

andron6257d ago

You could reform the playing by having a semi automatic bot grinding built into the game.

Based upon your preferences and playing style, it would grind for you when you weren't playing. That way your character wouldn't stand completely halted when you weren't playing. And it would reduce the need or will to pay for external bots.

Jinxstar6256d ago

Doesn't matter cause if the "Bot" guy wins then blizzard will just make it simple to grind everything making bots nearly useless... They have dumbed this game down so many times it's staggering. Hopefully Age of Conan or Warhammer will help trump this juggernaut off its high horse. They make too much money and dont put out anything worth while anymore imho.

LorD6256d ago

This should be handled as a case of Property Rights.

Its Blizzard's game. Running on Blizzard's servers. They should be able to choose 100% what goes on and what doesn't go on within their own property.

End of story.

JoelR6256d ago (Edited 6256d ago )

The question isn't if it is blizzard's rights to control what is done with their servers but what is their right to control on your PC...
can they/should they be allowed to monitor everything you are doing on your PC.
The answer is NO according to the current laws - but they want to extend the laws to allow them to do so.

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70°

Devs believe WoW’s longevity isn’t because of legacy, but because of willingness to evolve

World of Warcraft developers discuss the game's decades-long lifepsan and why the game continues to be the biggest MMO ever.

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videogamer.com
rlow1119d ago

The granddaddy just keeps chugging along.

50°

Building in Azeroth: A First Look at Housing - WoW

The construction of the new Housing system in Azeroth is underway, and we’re taking you behind the scenes to give you an early look at what the Housing development team has been working on. Watch your step, and don’t mind the dust. Hard hats are not required.

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worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com
50°

World of Warcraft: Mount Tier List

Mounts are perhaps WoW's most coveted collectibles, displaying feats of strength or perseverance for all to see.

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gamerant.com