RE: [dvd-discuss] Blizzard / Battlenet FAQ

[Tim Neu <tim(at)tneu.visi.com>]

On Fri, 22 Feb 2002, Richard Hartman wrote:

> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: tneu@smithmicrotech.com [mailto:tneu@smithmicrotech.com]
> ...
> > 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.
> >
> > http://www.visi.com/~tneu/blizzard.html
> >
> >
>
> Q: How do CD keys help reduce piracy?
>
>
> Blizzard: Blizzard uses two main methods to combat piracy: disc-based copy
> protection and CD keys. As part of the login process, Battle.net
> authenticates the user's CD key and prevents people from logging in with the
> same key or an invalid key.
>
>
>
> tneu: These precautions are typical of software products, however, they have
> no legal bearing on the matter. Assuming someone has purchased a copy of the
> software in question, they are free to use it - even if they choose to
> access an emulated server rather than the company's own.
>
> rmh: this is what makes the battle.net clones a "circumvention device" under
> the DMCA.  if the clones performed the same authentication, then you could
> run
> under the free market competetion w/ far less chance of Blizzard being able
> to pursue a _successful_ lawsuit.  The question is: how important to the
> BattleNet clones to bypass the CD key authentication?  Is it worth being
> shut down?  If all you want to do is compete, you may as well do so with
> less
> legal exposure.  If you want to make a statement about the DMCA and become
> the next poster child in court (and we _do_ need one), keep on truckin'

I'm not sure if this is an old email, or not (it seem vaguely familiar).

The battlenet clones offered to implement CD-authentication, only to have
blizzard refuse to co-operate.  So, it would seem that if bnetd is a
circumvention device, it is so only because reverse engineering the
CD authentication would be illegal under the DMCA and blizzard did not
provide any other means of implementing it.

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