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MMOG pirates jailed for running illegal Priston Tale servers [updated]
Jail sucks, jailed in China probably sucks a lot more. Going to jail over running illegal Priston Tale servers -- the irony and endless puns are hilarious. Five Chinese men were arrested earlier this month when they were busted for running illegal MMOG servers and were also found with defrauding Prison Tale with their own bootleg RMT services. RMT stands for real money trade, which is the activity of selling in-game commodities in exchange for real-world currency. The five men are facing a stiff three million yuan (almost $400,000) civil lawsuit from Priston Tale's license holder, Shanghai Yetime Network Technology Co Ltd. The supposed mastermind behind the operation, 33 year-old Yan Shaodong, bought a Japanese version of the game back in 2006 raising the question if Yan actually believed, or was sold a legit license. Yan recruited the others, ages between 17 and 32, to help with logistics, translation, server maintenance, and promotion. They were all paid for their pirate services, maybe in duped potions -- that would do the trick. Yan claims that Shanghai Yetime never sent a cease and desist letter, and that if they had, he would have complied with their demands and shut operations down. Uh-huh, right! Apparently, Yan's pirating endeavor earned 70,000 yuan total, but during court proceedings he proclaimed no profit was earned and that they were operating at a net loss. What I want to know is if those players who thought the servers were legit and who bought any items ever saw a refund after the illegal servers went dark? Yea, I didn't think so either. Take heed, if you ever take a trip to China, setting up your own illegal MMOG server and selling in-game items isn't the best plan. There's always farming gold...[updated: Remind me not to make posts wee-early in the morning without having my coffee first!] :)
Flagship responds to the Hell Gate: London EULA-Adware debacle
Many Hellgate: London players are crying, "don't adware me bro" after finding out that real-world deodorant ads for zombie slayers flicker on posters and signs during their gaming experience. Various adverts are implemented into the game by Massive Incorporated -- a company that specializes in accessible in-gaming ad distribution. Upon deeper inspection it was found Hellgate: London's EULA isn't all about rainbows and puppies and there is some cause for a revolt, I mean concern. If you aren't aware of what an EULA is, they "shrink-wrapped" contracts written in fancy legal word-play that most players click-off before diving into the game. Basically, the bedlam is over a clause in Hellgate: London's EULA that grants EA and its affiliates carte blanche with a player's sensitive data. 3. Consent to Use of Data. You agree that EA, its affiliates, and each Related Party may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer, including without limitation your Internet Protocol address, operating system, application software and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online play. EA and/or the Related Parties may also use this information in the aggregate and, in a form which does not personally identify you, to improve our products and services and we may share that aggregate data with our third party service providers.Before those clenching their fists break a finger and swear to never purchase Hellgate: London because you think they are evil data moochers let me explain, hell, at least read Flagship's explanation first. This type of clause is standard in most MMOG EULA's -- go take a look at any MMOG EULA or check out ancient news about players discovering World of Warcraft's anti-cheating solution dubbed The Warden. Of course, most players are still ill-informed about EULA's, online security and what sometimes results is a nasty backlash over paranoia and fear. I definitely understand the negative reactions over the ads, but the EULA is there for several good reasons, one is to not only protect the developers but to also preserve the gaming experience. Flagship's well thought out response recapped after the jump:
