![]() ![]() From a legal perspective, things get interesting when we look at how those mods are created. Mods are typically identified as user-generated content developed for the purpose of enhancing or modifying some aspect of gameplay (thus, “mod”). World of Warcraft mods often make the game easier to play Blizzard via Polygon The mod ultimately turned into a stand-alone product and led to Hall forming his own development studio, Rocketwerkz. He’s the mind behind Day Z, a little-known mod for Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead. By way of example, my firm represents Dean Hall. In turn, these mods may garner a degree of popularity and success substantial enough to warrant their own following. Similarly, games like Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Bohemia’s Arma 2 and 3 have experienced a prolonged Renaissance thanks to fan-created mods. ![]() In fact, most serious World of Warcraft players have an add-on folder filled with various tools and tricks to tweak our user experience beyond the options that Blizzard designed for the game. ![]() Robot loaded (shout out to the Hurricane on Dark Iron, ya’ll). I’m not allowed to raid with my guild without fully updated versions of Deadly Boss Mods and Mr. So what is a mod?īlizzard is no stranger to software modification, or “mods” in the common usage. Let’s examine the operation of some of those laws from the perspective of the developer, and the nature of the developer/modding community relationship in general as I’ve experienced it in my role as counsel for developers. If I purchase a board game and decide to play among friends using a different rule set we made up (full disclosure, I do this all the time), no one can or will come after us for playing by our own rules.īut video games provide an entirely unique question concerning the integrity of the player experience - and what fans can and cannot do to modify that user experience - thanks to the operation of intellectual property law. Look at it this way: If I use a non-regulation net in a pickup game of basketball (full disclosure, I will never play a pickup game of basketball), no one can or will sue me for it. Others seemed justified in the interest of fair play, such as its most recent case against Bossland. Some outcomes have resulted in criticism, including one of the earliest decisions in Blizzard’s favor against. Blizzard has frequently employed legal action to defend the integrity of the player experience. From Warcraft to World of Warcraft, Starcraft to Overwatch, and everything in between, the studio has in many ways set the bar for multiplayer experiences.īut the most fascinating legal aspect of the company is Blizzard’s determination to maintain control over its IP for the sake of maintaining the status quo among players. Blizzard Entertainment has produced some of the most beloved and enduring multiplayer games in the industry. ![]()
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