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UbiSoft Goof Lets Porn URL Into Rainbow Six

Posted by simoniker on from the linkiness-next-to-godliness dept.

Thanks to CNN Money for their article revealing that an enterprising webmaster has purchased a URL featured in UbiSoft's tactical action Xbox title Rainbow Six 3, and constructed a pornographic website hub around it. According to the story, a "level set in a garage with posters adorning the wall" features a specific website address, and "Texan Tony Ashcraft was one of the early buyers of the game and noted the URL as he played. Thinking the link might feature ancillary information on the game, he told me he typed it into his browser, only to find no one owned the domain. On Nov. 22, he bought it and immediately filled it with porn links." Ashcraft, interviewed for the piece, says: "My intentions were to try to build up traffic and then sell the domain... If they ask me just to change it... they would have to have a pretty compelling reason. If they were interested in buying the domain, then we could talk."

26 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. Wee... by burntpsilocybin · · Score: 2, Informative

    Linky...

  2. url please? by gmhowell · · Score: 4, Funny

    Would it be asking too much for you to link to the 'offending' url? Especially for me. I can't seem to find any porn on the internet.

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  3. Utterly misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They didn't let an existing porn URL into the game, which is what I inferred from the article title; they just made the mistake of including an unclaimed viable URL address.

    1. Re:Utterly misleading by itwerx · · Score: 2

      Not misleading at all. RTFA! :)
      However, I would be curious to see the poster in question. Anybody have a link to a screen shot?

  4. Cybersquatting? by Mighty+Eris · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Would this count as squatting? Obviously, Ubi Soft wasn't planning on doing anything with this, but they'll probably want to not advertise porn in their games. Seems like a slightly less sleazy variant on the usual squatting extortion scheme.

    1. Re:Cybersquatting? by \\ · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why would it be cybersquatting? He's obviously doing something with the domain, and he's willing to sell it to whoever will pay his price.

      UbiSoft was stupid for not registering and controlling the domain in the first place, in this day and age they should've known better.

      I find it really sad that anyone can accuse this guy of cybersquatting when he's just being an entrepreneur, no matter how sleazy.

    2. Re:Cybersquatting? by Ieshan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The reason UbiSoft has a good argument is pretty clear. Suppose JK Rowling's book became an overnight success and one of the first readers went out and bought hogwarts.com.

      Then, being an "entrepeneur", he turned it into a porn site.

      It's no different. The only reason why the URL was purchased is because of someone making cash off of someone else's work.

    3. Re:Cybersquatting? by El · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If UbiSoft can yank this domain away from the registered owner just because it was published in one of their games, then what's to stop them from publishing 10,000 URLs in their next game and claiming ownership of any of those that somebody tries to register? There is only one way to reserve a domain name: register it! Register it before anybody else does!

      --

      "Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney

    4. Re:Cybersquatting? by phraktyl · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Not the same.

      The game advertised a URL, at that time not owned by anyone, in the game. As internet-oriented as we are today, this seems very irresponsible on their part, and I think got what was coming to them.

      If JK Rowling had said, `Get your class schedule on hogwarts.com' in a book, and then fail to register hogwarts.com, *that* would be closer.

      Reminds me of a King of the Hill episode where someone was making videos of Peggy's feet for a fetish site, and they mentioned peggysfeet.com (which is not owned by fox anymore, by the looks of it). But at the time of the episode, fox had an entire website up for Peggy's feet.

      --
      Karma: Marginal (mostly due to the border around the website)
    5. Re:Cybersquatting? by Luke+the+Obscure · · Score: 5, Informative
      Really? Only one way? Tell that to the old owners of usatriathalon.com, Pokemon-Trader.com, or vw.net.

      Try Googling "Domain Name Lawsuit" and then tell me there's only one way to get a domain name.

      You may also want to read the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act.

    6. Re:Cybersquatting? by TheOnlyCoolTim · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Once on the Simpsons, Homer mentioned his AOL screenname - and people who e-mailed that address got replies...

      Tim

      --
      Omnia vestra castrorum habetur nobis.
  5. Ok Everyone! Repeat after me like Homer Simpson! by Dolemite_the_Wiz · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Mmmmmmm Quality Control".

    Dolemite
    __________________

    --
    Save the World! Use a Quote!
  6. All right boys and girls ... by Kleedrac2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... the word of the article is ... Capitolism. There is nothing wrong with this. I'm not saying I condone this guy's right to make a high-traffic pr0n portal, but I would say the fault lies with Ubisoft. And the moral of the story, always check your links before you release them to the general public!
    Kleedrac

    --
    Sure we wang, can.
  7. And that's why... by lightspawn · · Score: 4, Insightful

    if you're going to post a URL in your game/movie/etc, make sure it exists (like CSI did with http://ladyheather.com/ ) or that it can't exist (nonexistant TLD, illegal characters etc).

    It's like making sure your characters' phone numbers start with 555.

    1. Re:And that's why... by mobby_6kl · · Score: 2, Interesting

      another example is Pets Overniht and Love Media from GTA3, as well some more I can't recall.

  8. happened to me once by ketan · · Score: 4, Funny

    One of my previous jobs had a link to Q&A site Experts Exchange in some sample content. The current link for that site is http://experts-exchange.com/, but they also had a nearly identical URL which was what was used in our product: http://expertsexchange.com/. At some point, its registration lapsed and it got acquired by a domain squatter who was using it as a similar porn portal. If you're not getting it, read the URL again: http://expertsexchange.com/

    --
    You have a choice: tax and spend Democrats, or borrow and spend Republicans. Choose wisely.
  9. GTA by tprime · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In the Grand Theft Auto III and VC games, many "fictional" web sites are advertised on the radio stations (pogo the monkey, etc.) All of these URLs were purchased, by TakeTwo, prior to the games being released and were realistically filled with content that corresponded to the in game advertisements. It kind of added another aspect of realism to the game, while at the same time kept anyone else from registering the web sites and using them for their own agenda.

    The Ubisoft was simply careless in their production of the game and the gamer had every right to take advantage of that mistake. This is not cybersqatting because it does not infringe upon the copyright of Ubisoft nor does it violate any fair-use guidelines.

    --
    http://www.tomandemily.com
    1. Re:GTA by Imperator · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I don't know about GTA3 but in VC there are (at least) five phone numbers advertised in radio ads. I first thought to try calling one because it was an 866 number, and a game so faithful to the 80's would have used 800 numbers if they weren't meant to be called. (For non-US people: 800 was the area code for toll-free (callee-pays) calls for the longest time. They ran out of 800 numbers in the 90s and started handing out toll-free numbers in area codes like 888 and 866. Thus RockStar ended up with 866 numbers because 800 numbers were too scarce and expensive.)

      --

      Gates' Law: Every 18 months, the speed of software halves.
  10. Ubi soft should.... by culain · · Score: 3, Interesting

    In their first patch modify the texture so it refers to a different website. And make sure they register that site this time. From memory XBOX Live forces people to patch straight away, right, so that should completely skirt the problem, and annoy the hell out of the guy who bought the domain :)

  11. Similar experience from friend by Masem · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I have a friend that , while sick at home one day, caught a fake URL on Sesame Street (or some other children's program), and went and registered it, then put on the front page where the URL came from and that if the compare that owned the show wanted the domain, he'd gladly give it to them for free, and was only grabbing the domain as to prevent the case in this article from happening. I think he also fired an email to the company as well. I believe that the company did ask for the domain, but thanked him for his observation. Of course, some others were prepared. The episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, called 'Inter-fection', featured a URL, but Cartoon Network was ready, as the site (still active last I checked) was a perfect addendum to the episode. Hint: if you are going to post a fake domain as part of a show, make sure you actually own it before airing.

    --
    "Pinky, you've left the lens cap of your mind on again." - P&TB
    "I can see my house from here!" - ST:
  12. URL by Luigi30 · · Score: 2, Informative

    At least the URL wasn't goatse.cx...

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  13. Who is liable for children seeing this URL? by FauxReal · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'm just wondering... is it the parents' fault for allowing children to play a ESRB mature rated game? Is it UbiSoft's faulf for being asleep at the wheel? Or is it the guy who set up the porno portal? He did knowingly buy a domain that minors will see a reference to in a video game and then set it up with porn links.

    I suppose it doesn't matter since it is rated mature by the ESRB and any responsible *cough* game retailer wouldn't sell it to a kid anyway.

    Hmmmm... naybe when it comes down to it, the issue is between this guy and UbiSoft's pocketbooks.

    --
    Deltron 3030 - Virus (music video)
  14. Possibly not UbiSoft's fault by zero_offset · · Score: 2, Insightful

    All but the largest interactive multimedia companies get their artwork done by external graphic arts companies on a contractual basis. Granted, someone at UbiSoft is probably responsible for reviewing those assets, but even then it isn't too surprising -- I've been in that environment and I know how things can slip through when the deadline is looming.

    --

    Slashdot quality declines as the number of hot grits posts decreases. - Provolt's Law, Apr-09-2005

  15. Re:Great marketing by smothra · · Score: 2, Informative

    Gaaaaah!

    http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/aladdin.htm

    Maaaaah!

    http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/mermaid.htm

    Meh?

    http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/rescuers.htm

    --
    Look ma, no tpyos^H^H^H^H^H^H . . . oh crap.
  16. It's legal by spotteddog · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Just look at WARNING PORNO SITE http://www.whitehouse.com vs WARNING US GOVT SITE http://www.whitehouse.gov

    If Billy and Dubya couldn't get this changed, UbiSoft shouldn't be able to either.

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    . there used to be a sig here.....
  17. did anybody even bother to check it? by maxmg · · Score: 2, Informative

    I believe the website in question is http://www.carrodoleao.com/, I went and had a look when I first saw it in the game - and there is no porn there whatsoever! There might be soon, however, as the guy who owns the domain seems to be willing to sell...

    --
    I asked for a refund - and got my monkey back.