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Wizards of the Coast Sues Rumor Site
foo fighter writes "Wizards of the Coast is suing the owner of MTG Salvation, a site that posts rumors and spoilers about upcoming releases of Magic: the Gathering. This suit has come as a disappointing and disturbing shock to Magic's large and diverse community and raises several questions too familiar to Slashdot readers: Do leaks of upcoming products really hurt sales of those products? Do these kind of lawsuits damage the companies initiating them more than they help?"
...Apparently WoC is in talks with Fark to integrate all the user-made cards played in Fark discussions, including "Summon Bevets" and "The Goggles."
"Made up/misattributed quote that makes me look smart. I am on
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
Since the article summary posed the question: Do leaks of upcoming products really hurt sales of those products?
You've got to compare similar things. A leaked image of what a new Magic card looks like will get people talking and strategizing and whatnot. A leaked version of a complete game gets people downloading and playing.
For one thing, you can't play a tournament with cards you printed yourself. You'll get laughed out of any serious match I can think of, too. Hell, my friends would laugh at me if I tried to play with Xeroxed cards. If I fire up a leaked version of a single-player game, nobody knows but me. Assuming the game is complete, I could play through the whole thing. Magic is a game that is played in person with tangible, physical things. That changes everything.
e2 | LJ
I read TFA and they AREN'T sueing him over cards that were spolied before the set came out. They are suing him over posting prototype cards for a set another year off. These cards aren't supposed to be EVER seen by the public. In addition, unlike other leaks, these can only come from someone working at Wizards of the Coast.
This lawsuits primary purpose is to find the names of Darons sources. The only reason they are going after him is because hes the only one whos name they know.
Speaking is NOT communication
more likely they have to sue in order to find out who on their staff leaked the info, then the real suing can begin.
Snowden and Manning are heroes.
> "Do leaks of upcoming products really hurt sales of those products?"
:)
Well, in my case, the chance that I would buy the product has gone from zero to zero, so I would say no. The sales have not been affected at all.
> "Do these kind of lawsuits damage the companies initiating them more than they help?"
Well, in my case, the chance that I would buy the product has gone from zero to zero, so I would say no. The company has not been affected at all.
Sorry, couldn't resist.
In the general case, yes, leaks CAN hurt, if it causes people to hold off on current purchases while they wait for the next release with the new features. This is known as the "Osborne effect," in honor of computer pioneer Adam Osborne, who apparently destroyed his own company by announcing "next version" features too early. As for the second question, well, that's going to have to be judged on a case-by-case basis. Trying to make it into a simple "yes or no" question is naive and silly.
This is correct, the suit is pending against one single user at MTGSalvation, not the site itself or the head anmin. Daren aka Rancored_Elf has only been an admin 2 months and stepped down to global mod this morning (the promotion was originaly announced as temporary)
MTGSalvation would like to have the article edited to point this out
from the thread at MTGS:
-The slashdot article is INCORRECT. Can members please contact the appropriate parties to rectify and correct it?
-We aren't supporting boycotts, hate mailings, or other forms of protest along these lines.
-The best way to let your voice be heard is probably this:
Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
PO Box 707
Renton, WA 98057
Snail Mail WoTC with your INTELLIGENT, COHERENT thoughts on this issue.
-The exact reason for the suit is not 100% sure, but we are reasonably sure it does not pertain to the leaks for GP or the reactions of forum members to the GP cards.
Almost 2 months ago R_E recieved a picture of "playtest cards" for an expansion (Cold Snap) that is suppossed to be released this fall. These were cards at a very early stage of testing and most of the forum members thought they were fakes. The cards were stickers stuck to basic land with playtest names and card effects, these were for R&D to use to playtest the expansion set. The playtest cards had "Confidential" printed in red down their sides. If looks likes these cards were real and R_E is being sued for posting them when he did not know (untill now) if they were real or not.
IMO if WotC's R&D can't keep their mouth shut WotC should fire all non senior members and re-hire from the pool of thousands of aplicants. Pressing charges against a forum member of a rumor site that has never paid for information, sol information, or is held liable by a NDA is IMO bad publicity.
As a representative member of the Magic playing community, and a member of multiple message boards dealing with the game, I find that this lawsuit could be seen in many ways by a fan base that is as diverse socially as it is in mental capacity. Though it would be low of me to suggest as much, the members of certain popular gaming message boards have been known to function strictly on reactionary levels. They mere seek what they believe is in their best interest and do not seek to find out what is legally binding, or even logical for that matter.
While I can honestly say that, yes, I did repeatedly view the spoilers for the most recent set of trading cards; I do not feel any qualms about it. Much as many members of this community may not experience pangs of guilt from p2p networks or bit torrent file sharing. The theft and proliferation of intellectual property with this day and age is strikingly active. Record sales are dropping, box office numbers dwindle, and all around the entertainment industry, for lack of a better expression, pooches are getting screwed.
What does that have to do with the matter at hand? I wish I knew. Sometimes I just type things up to entertain myself and quit thinking mid-sentence. It's an issue that neither Ritalin nor manual stimulation has solved. To get back to the point though, the release of undisclosed information to an outside source about a product before the release of it could just breach some nondisclosure agreements that many of the persons with leaked information may have signed.
In which case Wizards of the Coast is justified and right in suing for the information provided. The website in question may be taken back by such a claim and rest indolently on journalistic anonymity of source. Not that it matters to me. A thief has to fill out a police report before selling a stolen radio to a pawn shop, and so should the rumor mongers who provided the website in question with the offending information.
No, I do not work for or favor the interests of Wizards of the Coast, or Hasbro Inc., though I would willing accept money from them to support their products and likely would engage in corporate espionage against rival companies for a nominal fee. This is not an offer of services, but if it were, then any pertinent party could easily find my e-mail within my member profile and establish a line of contact from there. I do not wish to cause any malice within the gaming community, but will for price consider many things, much like the mercenary employees and contacts within the Hasbro organization that sold company information to a third party rumor mill.
For those that would argue the accuracy of this article, I hardly think it matters. No one involved in the matter is going to sue Slashdot for inaccuracy or libel, at least until a couple of weeks after their current deposition and subsequent trial has ended. Far be it from a site that markets unsettled hearsay on a daily basis to argue over minced words with a truly respectable website. That kind of complaint would be little more than bolstering of voice and being general internet busybodies. I, for one, don't care if Slashdot had mistakenly implicated Santa Claus in this whole debacle, and, really, what does it matter if Santa is? He never gets me anything that I like anyhow.
Rambling on, and on about one's matter on legal opinions, corporate allegiances, and the interminable jabbering of net-savvy jackanapes is hardly what one would like to be doing with his free time. Perhaps one could read a book, work for minimum wage, lie on one's taxes, insist on extra pickles, or just be a productive member of society. Were any of the members of the Magic community are legal council, or have a vested interest in the matter beyond the game itself, I would heartily encourage them to seek the fullest and strongest involvement in the perpetuation of this case, though I very much doubt there are many that fit that bill.
I am a gamer. I enjoy playing them, buying them, meeting people to play them with, buying
The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say. -Anais Nin