Blizzard wins $6 million in court case with MMO Glider
Another chapter of the Blizzard versus Glider story has come to a close. Blizzard and MDY Industries have been going at it over Glider since 2006, in a battle that's been rather important. Not only has it been about Glider doing something wrong, it's been about how well an EULA will hold up in court. That's something the entire gaming industry, especially MMOs, have their eyes on. If Blizzard had lost, it would have had a negative impact across the entire industry.Blizzard is most certainly not losing. According to BBC News (among other sources), they just won $6 million from MDY Industries, which is less than what was expected of them. This isn't their first victory in the war, but it's the first involving money. Blizzard could still appeal the ruling, so it may not necessarily be over, though I personally think the point has been made as far as damages. There are still further chapters in the story that await, because they'll be in court again in January of 2009 to resolve further issues.
This entire debacle is the perfect formula to rally people on MDY's side here on the internet. Blizzard is Goliath, and MDY is David. People are, generally, going to be on the side of Glider's makers just because siding with the little guy feels more familiar. Personally though, I feel like MDY Industries just got what was coming to them. They broke WoW's Terms of Service, enabled thousands of others to do the same, and they cast the first stone when it came to the lawsuits. They were pretty much begging Blizzard to crush them underfoot. They were doing a jig around the room singing, "You can't touch me, you can't touch me!" and then Blizzard backhanded them across the face.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Naix Oct 1st 2008 11:09AM
It will be years before Blizzard sees any of that money. Heck they may never see a dime. This case was more about principal than cash.
Rixarch Oct 1st 2008 11:12AM
About time. People that make the botting programs and such deserve to get the misery that they are inflicting upon the player base that they prey upon.
Sjolden Oct 1st 2008 12:51PM
Now if only multiboxing would get owned like this. It may not technically break terms of service, but i'd love to see it go down nonetheless.
Faar Oct 1st 2008 12:08PM
Indeed. There are few things I despise more in WoW than a botter mindlessly grinding away on my quest mobs.
Well, one thing more despiccable would be goldselling spammers I suppose, that and all the NPCs in Shattrath laughing and crying over and over day in and day out. :P
Still, this is a great victory for the light, and the doomsayers heralding the end of privacy and whatnot because a license agreement was held up in a courtroom be damned. ;)
I bet the people behind glider won't be targetting WoW in the future in their constant striving for cash money through online cheating...not if the price is $6 million. That's absolutely not chump change for a small company, such a sum could bury them - permanently.
Driphter Oct 1st 2008 2:55PM
Faar: The lawsuit didn't happen over the ToS or EULA. If you think you could get sued for 6 million for that, I'd be much more wary about the accept button. The way Blizzard was able to win it was by saying that Glider copied the WoW process to the RAM and that it was copyright infringement. The OP says that "it would have had a negative impact across the entire industry" when it will actually have an impact on the rights of software users. You no longer own anything on your computer bought from the computer store, you're just licensing it. Do something with it that the "real owner" doesn't like and you're eligible to be sued for copyright infringement.
This was just a means to shut down Glider for Blizzard. And it may have cost every one of us. So was it really worth it?
~Driphter
Kastirin Oct 1st 2008 4:05PM
^^ This. Having the bot-writing company win would have been bad, but Blizzard's case was technically very flimsy, and really shouldn't have stood up in court.
Sean Riley Oct 1st 2008 6:58PM
As with the above two. There are some very scary implications of this case.
stevens.ce Oct 1st 2008 7:46PM
"The player base they prey upon"?
I agree with your sentiment that Glider going down is a good thing, but why are you defending their customers? These people weren't preyed on - they bought a service to do something against Blizzard's EULA (or at least something that clearly was an exploit and would likely be against the EULA) to gain an unfair advantage over honest players doing it the right way. They are nimrods, and I don't feel a bit on sympathy for them. Glider going down is a good thing because it reinforces Blizzard's right to enforce their EULA and gives it more teeth, which can hopefully be used to rid the world of more farmers and exploiters.
bob Dec 9th 2008 7:11AM
"Now if only multiboxing would get owned like this. It may not technically break terms of service, but i'd love to see it go down nonetheless."
If anything, it requires more skill to play two characters at the same time. Besides, they're paying for it. I'm not sure about the origin of your problem.
Hydden Oct 1st 2008 11:13AM
"Backhanded across the face" is such a great visual.
Good article.
jappaex Oct 1st 2008 11:14AM
"They were doing a jig around the room singing, "You can't touch me, you can't touch me!" and then Blizzard backhanded them across the face."
Rofl.
Tony Oct 1st 2008 11:15AM
Good.
Justin Oct 1st 2008 11:17AM
I thought that they didn't cast the first stone. I thought that Blizz lawyers showed up on the creator's doorstep out of the blue. Then in response to that MDY filed suit.
eternaldragon54 Oct 1st 2008 11:17AM
Yep. I mean seriously look at their homepage, "Glider is a tool that plays your World of Warcraft character for you".
Andrew Martin Oct 1st 2008 11:26AM
Why is it good news that a EULA will hold up in court, this just greenlights the industry to place more and more onerous conditions on people who actually paid for a game while pirates continue to get their games hassle free.
This is a loss for consumers, even if it is a win for WoW players. It's like you know that thing you just bought for a lot of money, would you like to use it--agree to our terms or you can't return it for a refund.
skynes Oct 1st 2008 11:33AM
The alternative being that EULAs mean nothing and people are free to twist and abuse the game as they see fit.
Consumers are doing a good job of hammering down on companies with out of line EULAs and conditions. e.g. Spore and EA's DRM.
So if a company tries to pull a stunt with an EULA, the consumers will have none of it.
Yada Blah Oct 1st 2008 11:37AM
This just reinforces the idea of "my house, my rules", for Blizzard, in this case.
It may have some negative effects, but it is important that Blizzard be able to dictate the rules by which players interact with the game to provide a level playing field for everyone.
tanek Oct 1st 2008 11:44AM
Actually, it tends to be more like "agree to our terms or you *can* return it for a refund".
While I do think there are companies out there that will try to put unacceptable terms into a EULA, I hope that customers will make that known in the best way they can...don't use the product and politely let the company know why you are not using their product. I have seen people complain that the big companies only care about money. Well, even if it is the case, fine...gives us the best leverage possible. Because we are the ones with the money they want. :)
Gazelem Oct 2nd 2008 2:16PM
Here is a crazy thought, if you don't like the EULA or ToS, don't click accept. Speak with your wallet, buying the game and paying them every month only tells them to keep up the good work.
Personally, I don't find the restrictions egregious. I've played the game for 4 years and have never had Blizzard kicking down my door threatening to sue me. Maybe that is because I'm choosing to honor the contract I've signed.
Integrity, what a concept.
Fashionabull Oct 1st 2008 11:28AM
This makes me giggle like a little kid! I agree that they probably won't appeal the monetary decision, as said they probably won't see it for years (if at all). But this being Blizzard, the money was never the issue.