Discussion Legal Issues

[sTNL]

  So I was wondering these days. How legal is it actually to make, for example, a lineage 2 interlude server?

 

 

  I mean.. You grab the l2j files, edit the server and put it online. What are your legal rights in this moment, considering you are using a NC Soft copyrighted client? Keeping the server online I suppose it is legal, since there is no official server at the moment up and the game is practically unreachable if not through private servers, and since l2j is a public project that has technically nothing to do with the client itself without any third parties. But. Is it actually legal to make money through it? Are you actually allowed to sell features from inside the client? And actually: are client modifications legal? 

 

 

  Just a curiosity, since I started working on a server recently :)

 

[Tryskell]

NCSoft never cared about protecting their work, probably because that pool of players never leave Lineage 2, and it's still better to get players playing on private Lineage 2 servers rather than loosing them on another game (WoW, etc). That pool of players is never lost and was probably the first to come back when L2 became F2P.

 

The second attempt was to make Classic chronicle to gather old chronicle lovers. Still as you can see L2J is still strong, moreover when you compare to the amount of new games, the raise of F2P system and also regarding NCSoft/Innova attempts.

 

About legal stuff, NCSoft added a special clause regarding emulators, which basically give them rights to shutdown any server out there. The problem being, it needs a full team of lawyers to find and close every single server. Client modifications are illegal since L2 exists, it's part of their EULA. L2OFF is completely illegal (stolen server), but still, almost none platforms  closed (even the FBI story of 2006 is probably bullshit).

 

Anyway, even if they close every single server, maybe 10% will go to L2 and the leftover will be spread over the awesomier games out there.

[Finn]

L2j has technically something to do with the client itself. But like Tryskell mentioned before - NCsoft never cared. It was a kind of free advertising for them like game lets plays on youtube nowadays.

[Tryskell]

L2j has technically something to do with the client itself. But like Tryskell mentioned before - NCsoft never cared. It was a kind of free advertising for them like game lets plays on youtube nowadays.

 

Well, dp and opcodes don't come from nowhere :).

Edited February 14, 2017 by Tryskell

[L2J NexuS]

@Tryskell Do you mean this story ?

Sorry for quoting you in a dead thread.

[Elfo]

a

Edited October 1, 2021 by Elfocrash

[L2J NexuS]

Just now, .Elfocrash said:

Yeah but thats a very specific story. L2Extreme had both donations in the servers but also some other pay to play servers with a discounted subscription and actually had the sources, not just OFF compiled files (allegedly).

I asked a question on some other thread about registering your server as a company.
So my question is how L2Tales, L2Eola etc. are registering their servers as a company since the files are illegal .

[Elfo]

a

Edited October 1, 2021 by Elfocrash

[L2J NexuS]

Just now, .Elfocrash said:

Well you can still register companies and do illegal stuff. You are only in trouble if someone launches an investigation on you.

Can i send you a PM to talk more about this?
I hope i am not a pain in the ass.

[Elfo]

Just now, L2J NexuS said:

Can i send you a PM to talk more about this?
I hope i am not a pain in the ass.

Not really wanna get involved.

[L2J NexuS]

Just now, .Elfocrash said:

Not really wanna get involved.

Okie dokie.
Thanks anyway.

[vampir]

On 8.03.2018 at 6:20 PM, L2J NexuS said:

I asked a question on some other thread about registering your server as a company.
So my question is how L2Tales, L2Eola etc. are registering their servers as a company since the files are illegal .

L2Tales is not illegal, setting it up and letting players connecting to the server is legal by korean law. Even if ncsoft will write that there is death penalty in their EULA they cannot anything. The only thing against the law is publicity of modified client as patch in the website. World of Warcraft is a different thing, they can hunt private servers because company is located in usa and has different law. 

My past l2tales servers were even paying taxes from "donations", since we have got a company.

 

You should know that this applies to java servers, if you want to host l2off server you might get in trouble because of using stolen properly

Edited March 9, 2018 by vampir

[Elfo]

a

Edited October 1, 2021 by Elfocrash

[vampir]

4 minutes ago, .Elfocrash said:

You are wrong in so many levels. Yes you can and have to pay taxes for "donations" but that doesn't mean that ncsoft doesn't have the right to shut the server down.

What right?

[Elfo]

a

Edited October 1, 2021 by Elfocrash