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I dont know if this was posted here or not but it's kind of funny to me what Blizzard is doing. By the way, this is a c+p
A consumer advocate group known as Public Citizen has filed a lawsuit against Blizzard Entertainment, makers of the popular massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California, seeks to restore the right of Brian Kopp of Bronson, Florida, to sell his online strategy guide on eBay. Previously, eBay had blocked auctions of the strategy guide after Blizzard invoked the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), claiming that the guide violated the game maker's copyright laws.
"Copyright laws are designed to promote creativity and innovation, not squelch it," said Greg Beck, the Public Citizen attorney representing Kopp. "A video game is copyrightable just like a book, and just like a book you should be able to comment on it, create new works inspired by it, teach about it in classes, write newspaper articles about it and so on. It is this kind of innovation and open discussion that the copyright laws are supposed to foster. By claiming that mere publication of a how-to book about its game infringes its copyright, Blizzard has interpreted its intellectual property rights in a way that would prohibit legitimate commentary that is protected by the First Amendment."
Kopp wrote his guide, entitled "The Ultimate World of Warcraft Leveling & Gold Guide," and began selling copies of it on eBay on August 18, 2005. The guide contains tips on how to play the game, but does not contain any copyrighted text or storyline. After he began selling the guide, Blizzard, Vivendi, and the ESA filed notice against eBay under the DMCA, and eBay terminated his auctions. After a certain number of auctions were terminated, eBay suspended Kopp's account in accordance with their stated policy.
Kopp is still selling the guide from his web site using direct payment through PayPal, although he claims that Blizzard and Vivendi have threatened to sue him for copyright infringement if he sells the guide at all.
Is the issue really copyright infringement, or is there something else at work here? One might think at first that Blizzard is anxious to protect sales of its licensed Strategy Guide from BradyGames. However, a closer look reveals that something else might be afoot. The BradyGames strategy guide, which I own, is a nicely laid out overview of what the game has to offer for all the various classes of characters. However, it does not address the needs served by Kopp's guide, which is how to level up your character and collect in-game gold as fast as humanly possible.
The problem in MMOs of "gold-farmers" selling in-game gold for real money and thus disrupting the game's economy has been a major concern for companies like Blizzard, and the company has banned accounts accused of farming in the past. While Kopp's guide does not involve the sale of in-game gold for money, it could be considered a useful training manual for gold-farmers. Perhaps this is the real reason for Blizzard's laying down of the legal hammer.
Of course, not everyone who is interested in such a guide is a potential gold-farmer. Indeed, while writing this story I came very close to purchasing the guide myself—for research purposes only, of course! However, I eventually decided that as enticing as learning the "best secrets" to tons of money and quick leveling might have been, I would probably get more enjoyment by just muddling through the game at my own pace. Pity a poor level 48 mage, sir?
Regardless of the motivations for Blizzard's actions, the results of the lawsuit will prove interesting for anyone concerned over some of the nastier ramifications of the DMCA. Does a game's copyrighted status put limits on what we can and cannot say about the game to others? If Public Citizen is successful, it won't.
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Funny : World of Warcraft General Discussions
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