- cross-posted to:
- privacy@lemmy.ml
- privacy@programming.dev
- cross-posted to:
- privacy@lemmy.ml
- privacy@programming.dev
Cross-geposted von: https://feddit.org/post/31996415
In a remarkably strange statement at a recent California State Senate hearing over the Protect Our Games Act (AB 1921, California’s Stop Killing Games-endorsed bill to compel publishers to provide ways to keep playing discontinued games), a representative of the Entertainment Software Association declared private servers for the likes of Minecraft and Call of Duty “illegal,” adding that, so far as the ESA is concerned, “we consider it piracy.”
In a statement to PC Gamer, the ESA wrote that, so far as it’s concerned, “Private servers infringe on the intellectual property (IP) rights of game publishers. Publishers reserve the right to exercise their rights against them.”
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you do know that like 85% of TF2 servers (yes there are still TF2 players) are community hosted? I hope this dipshit is ready to deal with the business end of a fully loaded Gaben.
a bit of context as a current Minecraft player:
About two years ago, Microsoft made Mojang add a rather draconian player reporting feature to all of their server software that constantly scans the chat for “malicious content.” “Malicious content” is the usual boilerplate corporate image ass covering, but while that is bad enough, it also has the power to ban a player from even accessing their OWN private, Singleplayer world, should the algorithm deem the infraction severe enough. Unfortunately, the console version of the game (known as “Bedrock” by the community, due to it having a shared cross play API for all console ports) was wholly owned by Microsoft, with Mojang only getting a developer credit. This means for the console player, there is little to be done. Meanwhile on the original PC version (Known as “Java” for the language it’s coded in) had this implemented as well, but because Mojang owns all the licencing for THAT version, and they have an open, “hands off” modding API policy (within reason) for it, Modders IMMEDIATELY coded a workaround that deactivates the part of the code operating the chat reporting feature, by spoofing the blockchain authentications that verify that the chat entries scanned are “authentic” (basically it makes the receiving server at Mojang believe that every chat entry’s “encryption key” is “inauthentic” so it can ignore all of them, no matter what their content is. The clever bastards.) This mod (“no chat reports”) is now considered a part of standard server op support QoL installs, for the Java player base.
Well then, I guess we will just have to make better OpenSource games, now won’t we?
can really recommended beyond all reason, a foss rts game, in the style of supreme commander. running on lua.
It’s blatantly a bad stance from them; but it doesn’t even touch on games that use internal client/server models even when playing single-player — which includes Minecraft. If their argument were law, would I be breaking it by just playing Minecraft at all? With the way it’s worded, I would think yes.
That doesn’t even take into account that Minecraft in particular can turn a single-player client/server into a multiplayer with one button press. Would that be illegal? Maybe they’d argue not, because it’s LAN only (which is a flimsy argument as well). But with a little effort, you could open up that LAN server up to whomever you wanted.
Very obvious they didn’t think it through, they just want you to own nothing.
Why would the European Space Agency do such a thing…
Their nerds waste too much time playing the game
I thought they were all playing Kerbal.
To be fair, the european space agency isn’t NASA
You’re right, KSA would be more on-brand perhaps?
All I heard from the ESA representative is : “If buying isn’t owning, pirating isn’t stealing.” 🦜
It’s worse lmao they’re saying that buying is piracy
If buying is piracy, piracy is not stealing
Yeah obviously since these games don’t want private servers they provided the exact files to host your own server. Do they really believe the courts are that stupid?
They arent saying games have to enforce it they’re saying they have the right to enforce it if they choose. Clearly they arent.
I was like what the hell is the European Space Agency doing with Minecraft in California…
Exploring the vacuum between the ears of these people apparently
Better stick to space. Much more happening there.
So it’s piracy to use the software that comes with the game? The Java version of the game, at least, has always come with the software to run your own server without needing to rent one directly from any specific vendor.
The ESA can go fuck itself.
The java version authenticates with Microsoft and Mojang to prove valid ownership and to make sure parental controls are applied to accounts. I believe they are talking about unauthenticated servers that allow pirated accounts to join. Its similar to private MMO servers that are setup in a similar way. Same files, used unsupervised.
Generally this type of thing only matters with games that kids play, because people tend to try to protect kids. Games explicitly for adults seem to be able to be more free with what they allow.
Their words matter. If they wanted to say that, then they should have said that. They didn’t say that. They said private Minecraft servers are IP infringement despite Microsoft explicitly allowing them. They’re fools.
Sort of comes off as an old boomer just saying stuff off the top of their head. I’m sure its not an actual legal declaration. I guess I agree then, they are fools.
Microsoft’s official server binary, distributed by Microsoft themselves, has the option to not authenticate with Mojang’s servers. You don’t even need to modify it. I wouldn’t call that one piracy.
The official minecraft client jar has an option to disable authentication with mojang servers too btw
Sure, but theres a wide range of usage for an unnoficial minecraft server. Some servers make quite a lot of money via gambling mechanics.
The main reason Mojang or Minecraft care is because they need to protect the games image as a safe thing for kids to play. If it was a mature rated game, none of this would even matter.
Sure, and WoW ships with a file that directs you to the official servers, that you can change to any IP address.
Besides all that I’m simply explaining the companies position. If you want to pirate the game feel free. If you want to allow “offline” accounts to join your server, feel free to do that too.
Tell me you’ve never hosted a Minecraft server without telling me you’ve never hosted a Minecraft server.
I literally have one running right now. Its unauthenticated as well.
Game devs: „Here is the code to run our games on a private server. Have fun!“
Gamers: „Cool, thanks! Will do!“
ESA: „ISN‘T THERE SOMEONE YOU FORGOT TO ASK???“
I invited Jesus, but he never logs on
We reached out to all gamers everywhere and a spokesman for the group responded with the following statement:
Lol wut?
Fucking noobs…
Lol wut?
Fucking noobs…
If it’s piracy either way then why are we paying?
ESA members: https://www.theesa.com/our-members/
- Amazon
- Atari
- Bandai Namco
- Capcom
- Disney
- EA
- Epic Games
- Konami
- Mattel
- Microsoft
- Netflix
- Nintendo
- Riot Games
- Roblox
- Sony Play Station
- Square Enix
- Take 2 (owner of Rockstar, 2K and Zynga)
- Tencent
- Ubisoft
- Warner Bros
- Wizard of the Coast (owner of MtG and DnD’s rights)
The page also has this quote:
Shape and influence the largest entertainment industry in America.
Atari still exists??
Sort of… It’s a different company that bought the name years ago when the old Atari went bankrupt. Technically it’s a French publisher formerly known as Infogrames.
So absolutely no one I respect. Nice. ESA go fuck yourself.
Wonder how many of these guys employee lawyer trolls scumbags. looks and finds Nintendo Ninjas only one of the most bs litigous companies.
Not sure if they are lawyers but they are all employing scumbag trolls, that is what ESA is.
Yes. I was worried while I read the list, but known assholes top to bottom. That’s nice, I guess?
What’s the point in Microsoft shooting against “their own” product? I mean, the option for public or private servers is literally built into the game. Also there is the option for playing together over LAN which you could also argue is a private server.
If you have the facts, you pound the facts. If you have the law, you pound the law. If you have neither, you pound the table. This is the ESA pounding the table, and the goal is to confuse the gerontocracy LARPing as lawmakers.
This is why tech has gotten so out of control in the US. In the past 40 years, this industry has had so many revolutionary inventions while our legislators on average get older and less likely to understand the newest technology, thereby making them more susceptible to being misled or misleading others. Combined with our legislators not giving a fuck about actual economics, this is how we have oligopolies everywhere in the US with cartel behavior
Things have gotten so out of control because people have gotten stupid and lazy and put up with all of this shit.
People have gotten stupid because billionaires have orchestrated the gutting of education and people are too exhausted, not “lazy”, because they’re overworked by billionaires.
Capitalism is always the problem. Okay, very rarely organized religion or genuine natural disasters, but almost always capitalism.
very rarely organized religion
Religion is fucking up a lot more than you think
It’s not warming the planet so it’s definitely a backseat evil right now
Also true. It doesn’t help that the most successful and influential people in this time-frame have also been widely manipulative by pulling the ladder to success up with them, dismantling education, and increasing the amount of sugar and other unhealthy things in our food
The way I see it there are two possible reasons:
- incompetence: The statement in question was said by ESA’s vice president for state government affairs, in other words a professional lobbyist. Video games are her day job, not her hobby. I don’t know how much she actually plays herself. It may therefore be the case that she wasn’t briefed properly or she got confused. The ESA is currently persuing legal action against certain private servers after all. The article contains specifics on those but in short: Those servers enable piracy, the Minecraft ones don’t.
- they are lying: the whole thing was part of a hearing on Stop Killing Games. Private servers are one of the ways to fulfill their demands. It is the industry’s position that implementing those is too complicated. Each instance of private servers existing weakens the argument. So better pretend that those don’t exist. After all gamers won’t even learn about this statement. It’s a random California state senate hearing. They don’t watch those!
That’s a left over from the indie days. I highly doubt they’d make that available in a new game. But in this case I think its probably a law person that has no clue about games.
Thank for for this list.
I was prepared to add to my boycot list, but I guess sometimes the biggest assholes are exactly who we already expected.
Saruman and Gríma just want to shape and influence the largest cavalry force of Middle Earth…
I get why everyone is on this list except Netflix. Am I missing something? Cause that seems a tad bit random.
Netflix has a studio that publishes games on mobile, one of their most well known product is partnering with Take2/Rockstar to port the Definitive Edition of GTAIII/VC/SA to mobile.
Netflix on mobile included games, last I knew. But I haven’t had a subscription in some time.
Huh. Guess that shows how much I pay attention to mobile shit.
Of all the hot takes in the world, that statement is the dumbest thing I have ever heard someone say. Completely out-of-touch with the case, with the subject and with the games referenced. It is literally wronger than Flat Earth and young earth creationism in a single sentence. I would quote Bully Madison but even that wouldnt suffice.
Of all the hot takes in the world, that statement is the dumbest thing I have ever heard someone say. Completely out-of-touch with the case, with the subject and with the games referenced. It is literally wronger than Flat Earth and young earth creationism in a single sentence. I would quote Bully Madison but even that wouldnt suffice.
I’m sorry mate but you asked for it. We are now all dumber for having read the words “Bully Madison.”
F*cking typos!
I lied tho I actually did award you points hehe
Thank you, Mr. president!
Bully Madison
Gibbons cut in: “They’re illegal. They are not in any way affiliated with Microsoft. Microsoft, for Minecraft, has gotten a lot of criticism because of those community servers not employing the same safety standards that Microsoft does on their Minecraft servers.”
Oh this bullshit with the EULA
I didn’t know mojang had any official servers aside from the bedrock one that was used for the mob vote
Huh
They don’t. There’s realms. What I’m referring to is the EULA for running those servers. Mojang blocks IPs all the time.
Oh right, i forgot about realms
IP has more rights than people.
