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Is it legal to run a private server for a game?

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  • #1

    Is it legal to run a private server for a game?

    The original question was in reference to WoW. The claim is that a private WoW server is illegal, AND\OR that charging for access to a WoW server is illegal.

    Now If i got a movie, or a game, and set it up in a room and charged for access, i could see a case for that being illegal.

    But free private servers are pretty common, and its illegal? Im not seeing it.
    A ship at sea is its own world. To be the captain of a ship is to be the unquestioned ruler of that world and requires all of the leadership skills of a prince or minister.

    Men grow tired of sleep, love, singing and dancing, sooner than war
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  • #2
    Unless in the end user agreement of your copy of WoW explicitly prohibits it, I don't see why ... at least so far as access is free. Once you start charging for access (gaming), or viewing and listening (movies, concerts, sporting events), you run afoul of some laws.
    The cake is NOT a lie. It's so delicious and moist.

    The Weighted Companion Cube is cheating on you, that slut.

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    • #3
      Yes it would be illegal. If you check your EULA you will find that you, as a player, do not own anything. Everything "your" player has is private property of Blizzard and can only "exist" on their servers. You cannot, therefore, give access (free or otherwise) to property you do not own.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by DRoseDARs
        Unless in the end user agreement of your copy of WoW explicitly prohibits it, I don't see why ...
        Try because Blizzard doesn't sell licenses at all to their server software, so there's no way you have a legal copy?

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        • #5
          There are also the EULA restrictions on the client. Now, if you built your own server and your own client, then... you would have went to a collosal amount of effort to avoid paying $15 a month.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Kuciwalker


            Try because Blizzard doesn't sell licenses at all to their server software, so there's no way you have a legal copy?
            This, right here, is the meat of the issue. It's perfectly legal to run a private server for a game like Battlefield 2, because you are purchasing the server software along with the client software. I'm not certain about charging for it, but most BF2 private servers are for a clan or club, and the members have to pay for hosting. For an MMO, you have no rights to the server software, and the EULA specifically prohibits reverse engineering.
            Age and treachery will defeat youth and skill every time.

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            • #7
              sounds about right. With wow you can purchase private servers I believe. I'm not sure how much you "own" those. With private servers you can just cheat and make yourself level 99 or something . And you can have others on the server as well. I had a guild that was tossing around that idea (not that I'd ever join- wouldn't be enough population- not to mention I'd have to pay for it).

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Kuciwalker
                Try because Blizzard doesn't sell licenses at all to their server software, so there's no way you have a legal copy?
                Can you fix that sentence and its grammar into something an English teacher WOULDN'T beat you black and blue with a textbook for? Maybe something resembling this:

                Originally posted by Quillan
                This, right here, is the meat of the issue. It's perfectly legal to run a private server for a game like Battlefield 2, because you are purchasing the server software along with the client software. I'm not certain about charging for it, but most BF2 private servers are for a clan or club, and the members have to pay for hosting. For an MMO, you have no rights to the server software, and the EULA specifically prohibits reverse engineering.
                That made much more sense.
                The cake is NOT a lie. It's so delicious and moist.

                The Weighted Companion Cube is cheating on you, that slut.

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                • #9
                  Try because Blizzard doesn't sell licenses at all to their server software, so there's no way you have a legal copy?
                  So your saying its not possible to purchase the server, but if you had it, it wouldnt be illegal?
                  BTW why isnt this sentence readable? I understand it.
                  A ship at sea is its own world. To be the captain of a ship is to be the unquestioned ruler of that world and requires all of the leadership skills of a prince or minister.

                  Men grow tired of sleep, love, singing and dancing, sooner than war

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                  • #10
                    It's readable, but horrible grammar

                    He's saying that it's not possible to purchase the server, so it's only possible to have illegal copies (or more likely, illegally created or reverse engineered software).
                    <Reverend> IRC is just multiplayer notepad.
                    I like your SNOOPY POSTER! - While you Wait quote.

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                    • #11
                      It's perfectly fine grammar. Ever heard of a little thing called idiom? It's pretty popular in English.

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