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Posted: Jul 15th 2008 3:10PM Heraclea said

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About all the copyright portion of the decision means is that Blizzard only allows you to play WoW if you also agree to play by Blizzard's rules.

The actual copying that is done is not done through loading the WoW program - even someone without a WoW account can do that - but in accessing the data stream that comes from Blizzard's server. That data is also copyrighted by Blizzard, and needed to actually play the game. AFAICT the ruling doesn't hold that it's a copyright issue just to load Glider, or to load it with WoW: only that it's a copyright issue to use Glider while you access Blizzard's servers.

It would have been nicer for the judge to focus more on Blizzard's proprietary interest in the game experience expressed in the data stream than in the mechanics of software loading. But the common law process can straighten itself out if the specific language proves to be a problem. The right decision was made.
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