Re: [dvd-discuss] Blizzard / Battlenet FAQ

[Steve Stearns <sterno(at)bigbrother.net>]

On Fri, 2002-02-22 at 10:05, tneu@smithmicrotech.com wrote:

> The Intellectual Property Peddlers did it again.   They got me riled up
> enough to write another anti-FAQ.
> As usual, please post any recommended improvements.

You focus a lot on Blizzard taking this action because the emulated
servers provide "competition" for Blizzard that they don't want.  If you
want to make this point, perhaps you could explain how this really
competes with them.  Without indicating how this software would
negatively impact Blizzard, the competition argument seems rather
hollow.

As I understand it, the blizzard network is provided for free. 
Furthermore, if anything, blizzard benefits from the availability of
this software because it reduces the burden on their servers.  The only
problem that these servers pose is directly attributable to copyright
issues.

It seems that what triggered this attack was that some people were
playing the new warcraft beta on-line illegally because they were able
to use these unofficial servers that didn't check the keys.  While I
understand their concerns, I think that this is the wrong approach to
things because this server software has substantial non-infringing uses.

What might be a better approach for Blizzard to take is to work with the
creators of this software to provide a CD key authentication system. 
Basically set up a mechanism by which the Blizzard servers can be
queried remotely about the validity of a CD key.  This would permit
securing their copyright and allow these independent servers to flourish
to the benefit of Blizzard and their customers.  At that point, they
might have better legal ground if somebody then proceeded to rip out
that CD-Key check that Blizzard had helped to incorporate.

Overall I think the software authors have a pretty good case if they can
overcome one barrier.  Why is there a need for this software?  What
benefit is it providing to people?  I mean the software allows people to
operate their own blizzard servers but why would anybody want to do this
seeing as blizzard does it for free.  I personally understand the sort
of hacker motive of reverse engineering something for fun, and the joy
of running your own server just because you can.  The trick of course
would be convincing a court of this value.

---Steve