Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Academic talks MMO legalese and virtual property rights]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/01/academic-talks-mmo-legalese-and-virtual-property-rights/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/01/academic-talks-mmo-legalese-and-virtual-property-rights/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/01/academic-talks-mmo-legalese-and-virtual-property-rights/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Treasure hoard
Virtual item ownership has been a hot topic in MMO circles for a number of years now. Every so often, an academic will publish a paper regarding the legal and societal implications of trading real currency for fake goods, and the latest such academic is Rutgers University law professor Greg Lastowka.

Lastowka examines a number of high-profile virtual goods disputes (including one that ended with the real-world stabbing death of a virtual thief who sold a rare sword after "borrowing" it from a friend).

The piece also provides some interesting food for thought in the form of nightmare legal scenarios run amok (nerf patch lawsuits and legal action for server shutdowns are just two examples). You can read the full article text at Gamasutra.

MassivelyAcademic talks MMO legalese and virtual property rights originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>greg-lastowkalawsuitslawyerslegallegal-issuesMiscellaneousmmo-industryproperty-rightsrightsvirtual-itemsvirtual-propertyThu, 01 Dec 2011 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA["Fallout belongs to us": Bethesda lays claim to Fallout MMO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/21/fallout-belongs-to-us-bethesda-lays-claim-to-fallout-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/21/fallout-belongs-to-us-bethesda-lays-claim-to-fallout-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/21/fallout-belongs-to-us-bethesda-lays-claim-to-fallout-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

We may as well call it The NeverEnding Story 4: The Battle for Fallout. The ongoing legal struggle and corporate posturing between Bethesda and Interplay took a new turn today as Bethesda declared its biggest claim yet to the entire franchise -- including a Fallout MMO.

According to Gamesindustry.biz, vg247, and Eurogamer, Bethesda's Pete Hines couldn't make it clearer: "We own the rights to the MMO. We own the rights to everything Fallout. The license is ours. Fallout belongs to us."

Earlier this month, Interplay called such claims "absurd."

This is troublesome for Interplay, as the studio has been hard at work on a Fallout MMO of its own, scheduled for a 2012 release. Both companies claim that they have the right to develop an online version of the hit franchise: Interplay because it retained the rights to do so when it sold the franchise to Bethesda, and Bethesda because the company claims Interplay failed to live up to the contract and forfeited its claim.

While the lawyers continue to plow through this legal morass, this statement by Bethesda shows that the studio has no intention of giving up the rights to a Fallout MMO without a fight.

[Update: We've clarified Gamesindustry's sources.]

Massively"Fallout belongs to us": Bethesda lays claim to Fallout MMO originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bethesdaBethesda-Game-StudiosBethesda-Softworksfalloutfallout-mmofallout-onlineInterplaylawyerlegallegal-rightsneverending-storypete-hinesrightsFri, 21 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Interplay responds to Bethesda's Fallout claims, calls them "absurd"]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/interplay-responds-to-bethesdas-fallout-claims-calls-them-abs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/interplay-responds-to-bethesdas-fallout-claims-calls-them-abs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/interplay-responds-to-bethesdas-fallout-claims-calls-them-abs/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

War... war never changes. Not even when it's over an IP. The Fallout MMO has been stuck in the middle of a legal battle for roughly half of forever, and it doesn't seem like the controversy is going to stop any time soon. Bethesda's most recent filing claimed that Interplay had only licensed the rights to use the Fallout name, rather than any of the other assets that would lead to developing an MMO. Interplay has responded to this claim by calling it outright absurd.

According to Interplay, the license between the companies specifically required Interplay to develop a Fallout MMO, using the name and all related assets as part of the overall experience. Using only the name and nothing else related to the franchise would be strictly against the terms of the original agreement. Although it's not clear at the moment how long this particular skirmish will take, it's obvious that both companies are still dedicated to fighting the rights out to the bitter end.

MassivelyInterplay responds to Bethesda's Fallout claims, calls them "absurd" originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bethesdafalloutfallout-mmointerplaylegallegal-agreementslegal-battlelicenselicensingmmo-industrynewsproject-v13rightsMon, 10 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Virtual Whirl: A virtual environment user's bill of rights]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/17/the-virtual-whirl-a-virtual-environment-users-bill-of-rights/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/17/the-virtual-whirl-a-virtual-environment-users-bill-of-rights/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/17/the-virtual-whirl-a-virtual-environment-users-bill-of-rights/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

This week, in The Virtual Whirl, I'd like you to join me as I take a stab at a virtual environment user's bill of rights. It's a perennial topic given that service operators have a very unbalanced power relationship with users.

I don't believe that users should make unreasonable demands or boss their VE providers around, but certainly there's a list of things that I believe are important to look for in a general purpose virtual environment, and that the lack of one or more of them should certainly get you thinking about alternatives.

Continue reading The Virtual Whirl: A virtual environment user's bill of rights

MassivelyThe Virtual Whirl: A virtual environment user's bill of rights originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bill-of-rightsculturefeaturedopinionrightsthe-virtual-whirlvirtual-worldsSat, 17 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[China investigating potential World of Warcraft upset, may ban game]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/14/china-investigating-potential-world-of-warcraft-upset-may-ban-g/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/14/china-investigating-potential-world-of-warcraft-upset-may-ban-g/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/14/china-investigating-potential-world-of-warcraft-upset-may-ban-g/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Blizzard and World of Warcraft have been having some trouble as of late in China, but this piece of news seems much more foreboding that anything that came before it. Apparently, an anonymous insider says China's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) has assigned Shanghai's News and Press Bureau to investigate a joint venture established by NetEase and Blizzard. Not too long ago, NetEase became the new benefactor of licensing rights for World of Warcraft, but GAPP thinks the deal aims to break Chinese law.

China is very clear when it comes to foreign companies operating online games domestically through a joint venture or sole investment -- they do not tolerate it. Without argument, GAPP approval is required for any foreign online games. If they find that the NetEase and Blizzard deal aimed to operate as a joint venture, thus allowing Blizzard more control of their MMO in China, things could become bad for the two companies.

Without GAPP approval, World of Warcraft cannot be displayed publicly, traded or promoted. If a company were to attempt such a thing without approval, GAPP has said they will shoulder legal responsiblities. Assuming that were to happen, it could become very difficult for Blizzard to find a Chinese distributor for World of Warcraft. Considering the massive amounts of players who live in China, 11 million subscribers could be easily halved in the worst case scenario.

[Thanks, ScytheNoire!]

MassivelyChina investigating potential World of Warcraft upset, may ban game originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activision-blizzardbanblizzardbreakingchinachineseneteaserightsthe9world-of-warcraftwowTue, 14 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The9 is out, NetEase is in for Chinese World of Warcraft operator]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/16/the9-is-out-netease-is-in-for-chinese-world-of-warcraft-operato/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/16/the9-is-out-netease-is-in-for-chinese-world-of-warcraft-operato/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/16/the9-is-out-netease-is-in-for-chinese-world-of-warcraft-operato/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Yesterday, we reported the rumor that it looked like Chinese World of Warcraft operator The9 might be losing the licensing rights to a competitor, and today we can confirm that rumor to be 100% true. Rival company NetEase has purchased the rights to operate World of Warcraft in China, starting once The9's current contract is up with Blizzard on June 8th.

NetEase is already the operator of Battle.net in China, supporting Warcraft III and the to-be-released Starcraft II. They have been operating with Blizzard since last August, when they acquired all of the rights to the other Blizzard games. This acquisition only brings NetEase and Blizzard closer together in their business arrangement.

What is still up in the air, however, is the fate of Wrath of the Lich King. DoNews, a Chinese news site, has reported that Wrath has been licensed by NetEase, although no formal announcement has yet been made.

[Via JLM Pacific Epoch]

MassivelyThe9 is out, NetEase is in for Chinese World of Warcraft operator originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battle.netblizzardlegallicensingneteasepatch-3.0rightsstarcraft-2starcraft-iithe9transitionwarcraft-3warcraft-iiiworld-of-warcraftwotlkwrathwrath-of-the-lich-kingThu, 16 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Rumor: China's The9 may lose licensing rights to World of Warcraft]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/25/rumor-chinas-the9-may-lose-licensing-rights-to-world-of-warcraft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/25/rumor-chinas-the9-may-lose-licensing-rights-to-world-of-warcraft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/25/rumor-chinas-the9-may-lose-licensing-rights-to-world-of-warcraft/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The9 is the licensed operator for World of Warcraft in China, the most popular Western MMO running in Asia. However, The9 is facing new censorship and regulatory issues which have thus far prevented the Wrath of the Lich King expansion from launching in China. These restrictions imposed upon online games operating in mainland China by the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) are not the only issue affecting World of Warcraft's success in the country.

To make things worse, it's now rumored that their licensing deal with Blizzard may be shaky. Our sister site WoW Insider has mentioned (unverified) reports that The9 might be on the outs with Blizzard, citing a Xinhua news agency story. The9 declined to make a comment to WoW Insider, stating only that they're still in negotiations with Blizzard Entertainment. With their current licensing agreement due to expire this summer, we suspect it won't be long before the situation is resolved, one way or the other.
One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

MassivelyRumor: China's The9 may lose licensing rights to World of Warcraft originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardbusiness-modelscensorshipchinafantasygapplicenselicensingmmo-industryrightsrumorsthe9world-of-warcraftwowwow-chinawow-insiderWed, 25 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[More hints of a Fallout MMO?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/18/more-hints-of-a-fallout-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/18/more-hints-of-a-fallout-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/18/more-hints-of-a-fallout-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


We've alternately consulted both our Magic 8 Ball and a Ouija board for answers to the Fallout MMO question. As in, will there be one? We think we've got a handle on the licensing intricacies of Fallout between ZeniMax Media (parent company of Bethesda Softworks) and Interplay thanks to a stellar article written by Daedren for r1ft Gaming. Briefly stated, Bethesda owns the rights to the Fallout IP, but not a Fallout MMO. Interplay holds the Fallout MMO rights, but only if they could raise $30 million and begin development by April 2009. Interplay has mentioned an MMO project with a tongue-in-cheek codename Project V13 (a nod to Fallout) but we've heard little of this game beyond that 2008 announcement that a dev team was being formed. In addition, we reported just last week that ZeniMax Media is hiring for an MMO division, project(s) unknown. While it hints at the potential to bring Fallout into the MMO space, we're still chalking it up to rumor.

That rumor got a bit juicier today though when we came across something of interest at our sister site Big Download. The original Fallout designer Jason Anderson, formerly the creative director for Project V13, has parted company with Interplay to work for inXile on a new RPG. We're still not certain if the various bits of news we've found in the last few weeks indicates a potential ZeniMax/Bethesda Fallout MMO or if Interplay's Project V13 will chug along just fine without Jason Anderson, so we're still firmly in the realm of "rumor," albeit an interesting one to fans of all things post-apocalytic.

MassivelyMore hints of a Fallout MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bethesda-softworksbig-downloadfalloutfallout-mmointellectual-propertyinterplayinxileipjason-andersonmmo-industrypost-apocalypticproject-v13rightsrpgrumorrumorssci-fizenimaxzenimax-mediaWed, 18 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[What rights should we have to our virtual goods?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/12/what-rights-should-we-have-to-our-virtual-goods/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/12/what-rights-should-we-have-to-our-virtual-goods/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/12/what-rights-should-we-have-to-our-virtual-goods/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Are you aware of your property rights as they pertain to the virtual goods in your favorite MMO? Are you aware of the laws in your country as they pertain to virtual goods? Heck, do you even read the EULA?

It seems like these lawyer-speak agreements are becoming more prevalent lately, as we impatiently click the 'agree' button in anticipation of playing the latest MMO. In fact, even older games are reinstating their EULA on the loading screens, forcing players to click through before entering their world. The reason for this basically boils down to inevitable litigation as gaming grows in popularity.

Continue reading What rights should we have to our virtual goods?

MassivelyWhat rights should we have to our virtual goods? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>agreementchinaeulain-gamelawsrightsvirtual-goodsSun, 12 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[ION 08: A five year forecast for MMOs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/ion-08-a-five-year-forecast-for-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/ion-08-a-five-year-forecast-for-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/ion-08-a-five-year-forecast-for-mmos/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


There's always a lot of discussion about what's going to be the next big thing in the MMOs industry. We all love to talk about the future and that's largely because it's a very interesting topic. So we just had to attend the "Online Games in 2013" panel at ION 08. This panel was actually introduced by Peter Freese, the ION Conference Director. It was easily one of the most packed panels I've been to thus far which is saying a lot since all the panels have been pretty well populated already.

The panel consisted of Erik Bethke (GoPets Ltd), Scott Jennings (NCsoft), Bridiget Agabra (Metaverse Roadmap) and Damion Schubert (BioWare). With a group of people like this I was expecting some varied and compelling conversation on the topic of MMOs in 2013. In the end we got just that and a quite a bit more.

Gallery: ION 08: MMOs in 2013

Continue reading ION 08: A five year forecast for MMOs

MassivelyION 08: A five year forecast for MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activision-blizzardbiowareblizzardbridget-agabraccpcity-of-heroesclub-penguindamion-schuberterik-bethkefeaturedgopetshabbohollywoodindieionion-2008ion08ion2008joystiqfeaturesmetaplacemetaverse-roadmapmicrotransactionsncsoftpeter-freeseplaystation-3rightsscott-jenningsworld-of-warcraftwowThu, 15 May 2008 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Avatar rights: A person chooses, a tool obeys]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/15/avatar-rights-a-person-chooses-a-tool-obeys/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/15/avatar-rights-a-person-chooses-a-tool-obeys/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/15/avatar-rights-a-person-chooses-a-tool-obeys/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

There are any number of small avatar-rights movements going around, both in virtual worlds and even in some game-based MMOs. Does your avatar have rights? Is it a separate and distinct entity that can possess citizenship, rights, privileges and obligations in a different world (or virtual country)?

The short answer is, no. The rather longer answer is also no.

Continue reading Avatar rights: A person chooses, a tool obeys

MassivelyAvatar rights: A person chooses, a tool obeys originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredlegalopinionpoliticsrightssecond-lifevirtual-worldsTue, 15 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Imagined, but not owned]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/imagined-but-not-owned/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/imagined-but-not-owned/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/imagined-but-not-owned/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Linden Lab has been overhauling its website and promotional material lately for the poorly understood virtual world Second Life. One of the key changes to be spotted is the alteration of the long-standing descriptor, "Second Life is a 3D online digital world imagined, created and owned by its residents", which now only reads, "Second Life is a 3D online digital world imagined, and created by its residents", and there's signs that the wording is still evolving a little.

The unannounced change has caused a fair bit of speculation, especially among those who were never all that certain as to what the ownership consisted of in the first place. In fact, that seems to be at the heart of the reason for the change.

Continue reading Imagined, but not owned

MassivelyImagined, but not owned originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>lawlawsuitlinden-labmarc-braggownershipphilip-rosedalepropertyrightsTOSTue, 23 Oct 2007 21:00:00 EST