[Raize]

Quote:"We can NOT distribute them to you. Want to know why? It is VERY illegal!"

I understand. Half the post is venting of frustration, the other half is a serious issue that I'd like to hear the opinion on. If I read this site correctly, I'm being told that if I do an illegal action, EQEmu is so scared of liability that they will ban me from the forums.

Sounds great for the fanboys that think this Emulator is the best thing since baked bread, but for those of us that want to GM a server, its confusing.

What I'm hearing is that if a buddy of mine wants to play on a server during a situation where folks are waiting for a patch to come out, I run the risk of being banned from EQEmu forums, IRC, and etc. if I send that guy the files.

Why EQEmu would be concerned about that is beyond me. I understand the show of concern about Verant taking legal action, but in this instance the only possible legal action that can be taken is again *ME* for distributing the files to the buddy. NOT EQEmu.

If any of you had bothered to consider this, perhaps your policies regarding this issue wouldn't be so draconian. Going one step too far can make a big difference when someone is trying to familiarize themselves with the emulator project.

Note: I realize I'm already banned every which way from hell in IRC, but the argument over the policy remains. I'll check this post for replies, but as it stands, I've yet to truly understand the official EQEmu position on this, especially since everyone seems to be of the opinion that since trading files are illegal, banning people that do it is the only option.

Why not, instead of banning people, you state that if you find out people are doing it, you'll turn them in to Verant? That position better explains the stance you are currently taking. Not that of a defender of the peace but rather that of a snitch waiting to rat a person out.

It would make more sense to me to ignore file trading done privately and not ban users for helping others play the game.