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ARTICLES March 30, 2007 Escaping the Grind MDY INDUSTRIES vs. BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT A Primer If Blizzard bans me, ah well, time to go out and get another CD key and start it all over again, not like I lost a lot of hard work. -WowGlider customer The EULA will again be front and center as Blizzard and MDY prepare to square off in litigation that will seemingly have to address the state of play, the nature of MMORPGs, contracts, and intellectual property. In light of recent reports by WoWInsider (1) (2) that Blizzard has filed countersuit against Michael Donnelly, owner and founder of MDY Industries (maker of WoWGlider, popular but highly controversial automation software for World of Warcraft), I thought it would be a good opportunity to examine some of the compelling issues surrounding this case set to begin initial proceedings in Federal Court early this spring. Donnelly asserts that his business has in no way violated any rights owned by Blizzard who has in fact created “an actual controversy” through accusatory “threats and actions” (See claim). Blizzard has responded by reasserting such allegations ranging from tortuous interference with contracts, copyright, DMCA and trademark infringement to “illegitimate...cheating, scamming and exploit” (See Counterclaim).Yet upon closer examination, it appears that neither side has been particularly straightforward in their accusations. The legal game at its finest. |
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2007 Ludogrind
All opinions expressed herein are solely those of Lavant
All company and/or product names and logos are trademarks of their respective companies
All opinions expressed herein are solely those of Lavant
All company and/or product names and logos are trademarks of their respective companies