[MUD-Dev] BIZ: Who owns my sword?

[Crosbie Fitch]

From: AdamM

> Unfortunately, few legal systems work like that (the UK certainly
> doesn't). "Sold as seen" == "caveat emptor" which went out of
> fashion this side of the atlantic many decades ago. The entirety
> of consumer-protection acts are a solid bulwark to prevent that in
> most situations. It is of course an ongoing debate in economics
> and elsewhere: "Over-regulate or under-regulate?"...but you rarely
> get to abbrogate responsbility as a vendor.

Ok, would it be possible for someone today to sue the makers of The
Full Monty for depraving and corrupting them?

Are the producers, directors, cast, and crew, still liable for what
they've done?

>> Whether IBM or the public owns the platform doesn't matter. The
>> solution is separating the MMOG developer from providing the
>> platform as well as the content.

> If you own the platform, you own the (abstract) on-off switch, no?
> Or is this part of your p2p argument - there is no-one who can do
> this? (which surely only works if "there is *no* platform", so
> there's nothing for us to be worrying about who owns it?)

Just because you provide a conduit or infrastructure and can
theoretically disable or enable it, doesn't necessarily make you
liable for what your users utilise it for.

But, yeah, even better than IBM, is if the players' computers are
used in a p2p system, then it's patently impossible to take up a
class action against the rest of your fellow men. (though I wouldn't
be surprised...  maybe all passive smokers will prosecute all
smokers one day?)

>> Sell the content en masse, on a one-shot basis, i.e. a company
>> dedicated only to produce a particular piece of content. It
>> disbands the second it gets paid.

> Ah, so you recommend a game without a game-design (how else is it
> going to be maintained, fixed, updated, upgraded and improved over
> time.

Never said that.

> Those are not synonyms; they are all separate activities that a
> good MMOG needs).

I'd say that it would be an even better MMOG that didn't need them.

> A game with no rules but those the players make from day to day?

Sounds cool.

There's room for all sorts of games. Let's not get fixated on the
'this is how we do it - ipso facto - this is how it will always be
done' mindset.

> Or just get an injunction and make it (temporarily) illegal for
> anyone to play that game anywhere. Shrug. You can't just run away
> from the legal system - it would be pretty pathetic if you could!

Hah. I'm sure the RIAA would love to get an injunction to make it
illegal for anyone to run file sharing software, or play illicitly
copied music. An injunction is not effective against the masses.

The legal system is there for the people - not just commerce. It
would be terrible if people were not more powerful than the legal
system. Unless you like police states...
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