[johane]

Originally Posted by image

Johane, let me quote what mattmeck said

"The C&D specifically stated why they were coming after the Scorp site, it was because we used EQ names and graphics on the site without there permition"

While I know he meant permission:
- Says nothing about a patch server first of all
- Second it only refers to the site, so why the entire server got shutdown is beyond me

My point is that SOE would be on very shaky ground trying to get a site shut down for (a) running a patch server or (b) running an emu.

But they have absolutely zero risk pulling a C&D based on copyright of images, and it makes the shareholders feel warm and fuzzy.

Keep in mind what SOE's sole responsibilities are:

KEEPING SONY SHAREHOLDERS HAPPY

and

try not to break the law too much

and

keep the SEC and IRS happy

Now one way to keep shareholders happy is to concentrate on things that make money.

SOE makes money by people buying the game and then subscribing and then buying expansion after expansion.

If an emu with a patch server exists people can buy EQ, patch up to Live, and then play the emu, so SOE doesnt get as much money.

So patch servers are direct threats to their revenue model.

Emus that dont have patch servers will only have relatively few players who dont also subscribe to Live, relative to the potential number on the emu with Patch server.

The reason you see Fan sites that arn't taken down is because they make SOE money. They have (or at least had in 2000) a PR person whose job was to make the major fan sites feel happy and get big communities, as big community here equals more SOE subscribers. So even if they don't have permission, they are the best form of advertising - the kind they don't have to pay for. This is good for shareholders.

I find it kinda hard to see the Scorpious community as being a positive advert for EQ, but perhaps I am ignorant on this point.

Since the EQ patcher uses HTTP as a transport I guess that maybe a "Patch Server" is just a website on a funny port. So shutting down a website is shutting down the Patch Server. I know that just after Velious came out I grabbed it using wget, so that's what it (the EQLive Patch server) used to be.