Curse.com Sued By GW Over Warhammer Name

[exfileme]

This may be bad news for every fan site using ads to pay server and domain name bills.

Curse.com Sued By GW Over Warhammer Name : Read more

 

[banthracis]

So let me get this straight.
GW wants to kill one of the biggest fan sites of their game, responsible for who knows how much publicity and promotion of their game, which incidentally cost's them nothing for all this publicity.

Are they trying to get their own fans to hate them?

 

[Fokissed]

Warhammer Online is a dying game anyway.

 

[techguy378]

It is illegal to prohibit a fan website for a product from making a profit. Curse.com is not doing anything wrong. What a baseless lawsuit.

 

[hellwig]

I've never played Warhammer computer games (I only played the tabletop once at a friends house), and if the company behind it thinks it's ok to be big huge raging dicks like this, I really don't care to. I can't believe any company goes after fansites. These are the people who buy your products and promote its continued existence. These are the people who offer you up honest feedback for improvement and try to get others involved. This isn't a homoerotic incestuous Mario Bro's fan fiction website, they aren't defaming the franchise in any way.

As mentioned in the article, how are these websites supposed to maintain themselves? They could ask for community donations, but honestly, how many people would pay to support a fan website? Hosting and registration aren't free (sites this big can't use Geocities, if it was even still around). Companies like GW should be supporting these websites (they wouldn't need ads if GW picked up the tab). That, of course, might not make the community so open, being sponsored by the company, but at least it would show support for the community, rather than spitting in their face.

That brings me completely off topic. "Web 2.0" has completely killed free hosts. Why bother to signup for geocities or tripod (and have to learn the super-complex language that is HTML), when you can sign up for facebook or myspace or blogger? Bah, what is the internet coming to these days?

 

[Teirdome]

Games Workshop has changed stances to now viciously protect their IP and is only damaging their own name. I love Warhammer, but GW's overly-reactive IP protection prevents me from talking about it these days.

 

[Guest]

I was a pretty avid supporter of Warhammer Online when it first came out, but the game's dying now, and I'm sure GW knows it. Seems like a cheap shot to pull in revenue wherever possible as the game slowly withers away. I had no problem with GW until reading this article, now I will NEVER buy another one of their products; I wouldn't want to promote it and get sued.

 

[drutort]

fine then, can the fan sites go ask the game websites for money for the servers? I wonder if that would work? Oh the answer is no? wait then whats the problem... should ask them how do you suppose the servers get paid for?

 

[jellico]

[citation][nom]techguy378[/nom]It is illegal to prohibit a fan website for a product from making a profit. Curse.com is not doing anything wrong. What a baseless lawsuit.[/citation]
The problem is that, even when you're right and a suit brought against you is complete bullshit, you still have to spend money to defend yourself. Most times, it's cheaper to offer a settlement for less than the cost of the defense. All parasites... er, I mean lawyers, know this fact well; for most, it is their bread and butter. I have no doubt that is what's going on here.

 

[Guest]

Premium Subscription's that Curse is charging money for, probably started the ball rolling.

 

[Guest]

Just because a fan site is using ad revenue to fund their operation doesn't mean they are making a profit.

 

[scrapcitycyborg]

I had played Warhammer Online for over a year. After I unsubscribed, I was not able to login to the official forum for the game, but I could continue to go to the Alliance forums (to say goodbye to clan and enemies; which the official site will not allow-via locks goodbye threads).

It was my 1st MMO. Some fun was had, but far more frustrations. I'll never play a MMO again. MMOS take too danged long. I'll never play one again.

 

[curnel_D]

[citation][nom]wuteva10[/nom]Premium Subscription's that Curse is charging money for, probably started the ball rolling.[/citation]
Nah. Smooth talking lawyers talking to suits that don't own anything more than a flashy new macbook and a blackberry and convincing them this is the right way to go was what got the ball rolling. They get paid a ton no matter what the outcome is.

 

[belardo]

But this is complete BS. Even if they are making ANY money on the site.

So what IF its not a Warhammer official site? The owners bought the name fair and square. They don't pretend to be an official site - which would be a BIG NO NO.

This mean ANY FAN site or any site related to a business would be up for a lawsuit.
Such sites as :
apple2history.com
Applevacations.com
anything with "apple" could be sued by apple.

or microsoftsucks.com could be claimed to be owned by MS.

or ilovecamero.com or corvettelovers.com or hummersucks.com or ilovehummers.com (note - some of these are/could be cyber squatters) could be sued by GM even if sites are by fans of their products or have nothing to do with GM. The ilovehummer is for humming birds.

thinkpadtoday ... oops, not owned by ThinkPad, but they do reviews and have ecoupons for thinkpad, guess that would mean lenovo can come in and take over that site.

Perhaps someone who owns the "war.com" site can sue GW because "War" is in the name? or hammertime.com can sue GW because of the use of "hammer".

I went to the curse.com site, its a pro-looking site promoting various games and discussion rooms. No reason to frack with them. What should they do, rename their site: www.a_general_rpg_rts_gaming_site_with_noname.com?

Corporations are are getting dumber. They sure as hell don't need rights to pay for political campaigns with unlimited budgets. Thank you supreme court!

 

[drksilenc]

[citation][nom]wuteva10[/nom]Premium Subscription's that Curse is charging money for, probably started the ball rolling.[/citation]
the sub is for addons... and addon services not nething else

 

[thedipper]

Maybe they should try and sue Blizzard again for stealing the entire IP.

 

[gzhang]

I think the case is valid, but the action is stupid. If a company choose to alienate their own users, so be it.

 

[gzhang]

I think the case is valid, but the action is stupid. If a company choose to alienate their own users, so be it.

 

[Simple11]

Berlando, you have it all wrong. Unless those sites are making profit off of the company name, then they will have issues

 

[maestintaolius]

[citation][nom]fokissed[/nom]Warhammer Online is a dying game anyway.[/citation]
Yeah, luckily the charged me 6x in one month otherwise I would've forgotten to stop paying for my acct that I haven't touched in 6 months.

 

[RADIO_ACTIVE]

Stick to table top its better that way...

 

[imspecial]

[citation][nom]maestintaolius[/nom]Yeah, luckily the charged me 6x in one month otherwise I would've forgotten to stop paying for my acct that I haven't touched in 6 months.[/citation]
Game time cards = win...Pick one up at Best Buy or wherever for $15. Use it a month, then debate whether or not to get another. Used to do that with WoW.

 

[knowom]

It might not entirely be just about money Curse.com directly/indirectly made from the Warhammer name, but also what Games Workshop potentially lost due to their use of their intellectual property as well.

In any case let the courts worry about it and handle it not our problem to deal with. If Curse didn't receive permission to use their intellectual property they brought this on themselves even if it is despicable and underhanded on Games Workshops behalf.

 

[Guest]

Games Workshop, we all hate you now, so just drop it now before you make things even worse for yourself.

 

[Pyroflea]

This is ridiculous. Horrible move business wise. A large majority of the people on the fansite will discontinue playing their games I'm sure; the website provided a huge amount of free advertising as well. On top of that, all the people who read this and were considering trying it will most likely not. Nicely done, nicely done.