The whinefest from THJ's community is kind of amusing. Their collective immaturity is really on full display. Their server was a reckless exercise in copyright infringement and wanton greed from the owners, and they've still managed to concoct an alternate reality where DBG are being evil bullies for taking them down. The "how dare they!" mentality is so irrational.
Not only was it a clear-cut case of copyright infringement, DBG also had to take action. Copyright abandonment is a thing. If you don't protect your IP when someone makes meaningful money by infringing upon it, the court can decide that you've forfeited ownership of it. On top of that, as a publicly traded company, they could face lawsuits from their shareholders if they hadn't taken action. You have a fiduciary duty (i.e. legal obligation) to protect your shareholders' interests to the best of your ability, and for a reasonably large industry player like DBG's parent company, "the best of your ability" certainly includes a slam-dunk lawsuit against the infringing party. In short, DBG didn't really have a choice.
It was always cringeworthy how the THJ community had convinced itself that this was the best and truest way to experience Everquest. The fact is that it was an ultra-ezmode version of the game that spat on every facet of the spirit of Everquest, from the social element to the intended challenge involved in obtaining rewards. Everything soloable, characters wildly overpowered, buying BIS gear in the bazaar, accessing all content by hailing an NPC in the hub, etc. It was like Everquest for the most casual of casuals, bereft of everything that makes Everquest what it is. It's like playing the StarCraft campaign with cheat codes and then patting yourself on the back for winning.
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