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Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:22 pm
by SJane3384

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:43 pm
by nightshark
Hopping a few links, this got me excited in my pants:
http://www.geekosystem.com/richard-garr ... line-game/

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:42 pm
by SJane3384
Dunno. Garriott seems to have become kind of a douche in the past decade...

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:56 pm
by Matty
EA didn't own the game UOSA is replicating... right? they owned a later version of it.

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:58 pm
by Kasume
he's been too busy flying in space.

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:39 pm
by Chaos
That was about part of the ultima series not ultima online ..

Rules about free shards has already been to court and been demeaned ok .. You just can't make money off of there works .. that is all ..

I seriously don't think EA would pay to take this BACK to court seeing they lost so bad so many years ago and it would cost a fortune.

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:42 pm
by MatronDeWinter
Electronic Arts acquired Origin Systems in 1992....

Without EA, there would be no UO at all.

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:46 pm
by Rick Scarf
Matty wrote:EA didn't own the game UOSA is replicating... right? they owned a later version of it.
EA bought UO, they own all rights to all versions of it.
But as said above, it's not worth the cost of litigation to pursue something that isn't generating revenue.

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:48 pm
by LightShade
Could we take EA to court for ruining UO then?

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:20 pm
by Atraxi
LightShade wrote:Could we take EA to court for ruining UO then?
:lol: I would sue for pain and suffering, but I've never been subjected to Trammel (knock on wood).

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:23 pm
by lettuce
how did they ruin uo ?

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:48 am
by Mens Rea
Post a link to the UO terms of service and the other document with terms and conditions in it - it will give clues as to who is right and who is wrong.

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:08 am
by Braden
The DMCA laws didn't go into effect until 1999. UO came about in 1997 (when it was first released to the public). This gives enthusiasts a little bit more leeway than if they were to try and develop a free shard system for modern MMORPGs, which would be against the law as the DMCA does not apply to Ultima Online. There is some discrepency as to why this applies to only software works and not media such as movies or music.

Electronic Arts acquired Origin in 1992. Based on my understanding, Gariott himself retained ownership of the intellectual property but not the right to market or sell it. Meaning that Origin the company owned a stake in UO but not all of it. After UO was developed, Gariott sold his stake in it to EA with the caveat that they could not use his Lord British character.

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:49 am
by LightShade
Atraxi wrote:
LightShade wrote:Could we take EA to court for ruining UO then?
:lol: I would sue for pain and suffering, but I've never been subjected to Trammel (knock on wood).
indeed.... When I think of hell it looks a lot like trammel.

Re: Could this eventually spell trouble for free shards?

Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:07 am
by BlackFoot
only reason they are enforcing copyright of U4 is cause they are going to try and resell it as an updated somwthign or other.