Maybe they paid popcap and valve money so they could use their names. You don't know.

Also "star jeweled" would be fine, I think. Left 2 die on the other hand is pretty close and could conceivably create confusion.

Blizzard and PopCap are pals, so I'm sure PopCap had no issue with StarJeweled. And Left 2 Die is too different from Left 4 Dead for it to matter. Neither of these have anything to do with copyright infringement.

Another rule of thumb: if whoever owns the copyright doesn't care, it's not copyright infringement.

I think having a lawyer's point of view requires, you know... some sort of degree or education in law?


Their priorities are fine. They create a secluded internal and potentially marketable region, which is populated by files created by their customers, using their own software - and protected by their vigilance and a lengthy EULA. A Starcraft 2 custom map is NEVER going to rival (in terms of net profits) any standalone release (such as Bejeweled or Left 4 Dead). The problem that arises is a 'what if scenario'. What if someone uploaded models and textures from Counterstrike and made a 1st person shooter in the Starcraft 2 engine? What if someone published a map identical to HoN and it gained extreme popularity? That puts Blizzard in trouble if they haven't shut down these hypothetical maps. But, if I were to create a map called Counterstar, a first person shooter in which Immortals and Hydralisks fight to defuse or plant a bomb - that is no problem. Similarly, if I were to create a DotA-style map, also no problem.

Take this for another example: Hive Keeper currently being developed by Bibendus. It is a blatant rip off of [or inspired by - depending on your standpoint] Dungeon Keeper which was developed by Bullfrog Productions by Peter Molyneux and Les Edgar. You would think that this project has been shut down already, but it has not. Electronic Arts purchased Bullfrog Productions and incorporated it into EA UK, with Molyneux becoming the Vice President and consultant to Electronic Arts in 1994. The same Electronic Arts which published titles such as Archon (1983), Left 4 Dead, Crysis, Dragon Age etc... Not to be confused with Activision Blizzard who are an entirely separate entity. Anyways, the point I am trying to make here is that it's never just a simple case of 'copyright infringement' or 'lawbreaking'. These companies are comprised of extremely wealthy individuals and most probably have extensive legal teams - but these individuals also, most likely, know very well the individuals working in other game publishing companies.

And then what does your lawyerly opinion say about this:


You're 10x worse than a mindless sheep.

Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Jan 31 2011, 12:03 pm by Cardinal.

@Cardinal

Ignoring your sly comments
You have some good points

But look at it from another perspective.
A creator of a map hosting videos of his own creation is being shut down. It makes sense if his creation is something entirely similar to other games, such as Counterstrike, as you've said, and maybe named it CraftStrike or CounterCraft. But his creation is from a game of their own.

I totally agree that the name needed to be changed, I agree. But I still don't think their actions are warranted. First of all, we can assume there will be no legal actions for creating a game called "World of Starcraft" within the internal network of Starcraft itself. Secondly, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, is that they can tell the creator to change the name of the maps, and ask him to remove the videos from youtube. If he doesn't do it, then remove it by force.

The reason why I'm saying we're all blind is because we're viewing it from a company's perspective. This isn't a one way story, this isn't what they want us to think. Please also look at it from a CUSTOMER'S point of view.
If you were a loyal customer, and you have done something that have violated or infringed something, maybe by accident, or even by contempt, you still wouldn't want your work to be removed without your consent. "From a lawyer's point of view" means "legally", and "legally speaking", there are no faults of the company. But from a customer's perspectives, the company could've done a myriad of things to prevent these sort of conflicts.

All in all, the point I'm making is that they are not customer orientated, and that their actions are paradoxic from a consumer's point of view. If you want to have loyal fans, this isn't the way to go. Way to ruin a 12-year strong reputation.

Cardinal. Know this. THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT. From a Marketing point of view. But it extends far beyond that. It builds reputation and loyalty. If Rogers have a crappy customer service, next time I switch to Telus. That's that. You lose the customer. At the end of the day, sure, Rogers is still a big company. But if it continues, you'll still lose. You can't tell me that it's not simpler to just message the creator or give a warning or do ANYTHING to just explain to him that they don't want his map to be called World of Starcraft.

Money is Black and White, but you cannot assume that customers are. There is no way that Blizzard will sustain a healthy fan base if they continue like this.

Yeah, you're right. I hate Starcraft II, so I'm just going to go to another company and buy a superior Starcraft II product. Who is with me?! Lead the way UnholyUrine, where can I buy the superior version of Starcraft II?

Civ V

Or better yet.. use ur friend's account like I am
See, I was already leading the way.

That doesn't sound like Starcraft II...You told me that if a company wrongs me and cannot provide me with a service properly, I should go to another company. So what other company will provide me with my Starcraft II experience?

Total War
Civilization V
Age of Empires
Red Alert
StarCraft BW
Go Away and Stop Trolling

None of those are Starcraft II though, I don't understand. If the customer is always right, and you tell me that if I don't like their service, I can go to another company for my Starcraft needs. None of those games you listed are Starcraft II, so I don't understand how I have a choice in deciding in which Starcraft II I play. I want to play Starcraft II, not Total War.

Lol. Blizzard does what they want because they make good games. They are right and a petition or spam by a lot of selfish fans who don't understand the subtleties of their business decisions isn't going to change anything.

Doesn't hurt to try.

heartless bastards

Im fairly sure only one of these have a map editor

*sigh*, that's not the point.

The idea is for me to criticize the company in order for you all to see it from another POV.
Haters gonna hate because, in their perspectives, something is unfair.

In this case, the hate is even bigger because there're multiple problems with SC2. I just don't want people to shrug it off and let Blizzard keep on doing this...
And in order to do that, raising awareness is the first step.. Tho that's probably as far as I'll go.

Holy shit, you guys are sure fired up over nothing.

As I said, Blizzard and Activision are being BS. They have no right to do all that shit because the guy wasn't using the map to make money.

It's irrelevant if the map was going to be used to make money or not, that has nothing to do with what he did. He infringed on their copyrights, and Blizzard supposely took action. Blizzard/Activision are not in the wrong here. Blizzard can do whatever the hell they want, they've licensed the map editor and game to you, you don't actually own anything.

They're right in every sense.

Except they could've dealt with this in a much better manner. I don't feel like reiterating myself, so you can just read above.
You have to realize that Blizzard SHOULD be doing things FOR YOU. YOU SHOULD be the utmost priority in every employee in Blizzard because you're the Customer, and ultimately, you give them the money.

... you "should".. unfortunately.

The people who work the hardest should the ones who get rewarded the most. Does that mean this actually happens most of the time? Nope. Life isn't fair, and I'm not sure why you're trying to peg Blizzard as a bunch of philanthropists. The fact that people continue to buy Blizzard games means they haven't alienated you or their fans enough to make a difference yet I guess. They're a company, plain and simple, they care about their stockholders.

EDIT: Unholy, the reason I feel like your a broken record is because you talk like you're always entitled to something from Blizzard. You don't even own the game yet you endlessly complain about their wrongdoings and flaws. Why do you even care? As of right now, the game doesn't given you enough value to purchase, yet you continue to ramble on how Blizzard is evil and how they've screwed over their customer base. As a consumer, you're entitled what you have personally bought, and you haven't even bought Starcraft II, so stop acting like you DESERVE BETTER or that Blizzard is SCREWING YOU OVER.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Feb 4 2011, 6:29 am by Neki.

Agreed, I don't get your whole sentiment. If you don't like what they're doing, don't buy the damned game. I personally find what they've done with SC2 great, their interface is sleek and user-friendly and concerns over the vast majority of features that are missing have been addressed. Either they're in development or rationale was given for why they're not. Everything you say is so completely general that you could copy and paste it to pretty much every gaming company anywhere and it would apply in some way. You're essentially just spouting bullshit because you have a preconceived notion that you aren't willing to challenge.

I'm very happy with the game so far, most of my complaints are with balance where many people have differing opinions, many more enlightened than mine, and they've indicated it's something they're working on. They are in direct contact with top players and that's really all you can ask for at this point.