Rogean and Nilbog are Breaking the Law!

[starkind]

Originally Posted by loramin [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Doesn't matter. Once you license something GPL3, even if the original license holder wants to change the license, and grant you an exclusive right to not publish ... they can't.

The moment they put that license on their source code repository it was out of their hands, legally speaking: that code has been released under that license.

What if I told you that only matters if they redistributed the server for a fee. Since they aren't for profit and it's in house they can do whatever they want.

1. They aren't redistributing closed source modification.
2. The project is "science" tm. We just have the benefit of being allowed to connect.
3. No one is profiting.

Entirely legal even for me to experiment, tinker, refine my own quake 1 server source and allow people to connect even if it was closed source. As long as I didn't charge for connections. Or sell or give that code to anyone.

P99 is completely legal and no one is compelled by GpLv3 under these circumstances to release anything.

It's not like GpL3 telescope control software where they are selling it for use with other tracking motors or as part of an OS that can control telescopes. Or distributing bins of the code.

Totally legal in the former, rather than the latter.

Case closed.

Get a life and go macroquest 20 bots on another scumbox.

[loramin]

Originally Posted by starkind [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Loramin on a crusade to burn the world down and autisticly bot/box on TAkP or PEQtheGrandCreation.

Very hateful! :��

On the contrary, this would help every other EQ Emu.

Look, we like to pretend Rogean and Nilbog spun this place out of whole cloth, but they didn't: they're standing on the shoulders of giants (ie. the EQ Emulator devs).

Now I know those people are faceless, but I'm talking about people just like R&N here: people so passionate about EverQuest that they spend years of their life writing code to try to simulate the original servers. R&N came along, took what they offered, and (legally speaking) spat in their face.

But if R&N complied with their legal obligation, TakP, PEQ, etc. could all incorporate improvements that R&N have made into their servers. In other words, it would do exactly what the GPL3 was designed to do: ensure that any improvements made by one user get shared to others so that all benefit.

R&N are quite literally standing in the way of improving the very servers you mentioned by not sharing their code as required by GPL3.

[Tunabros]

can you just enjoy something that was made so people like us can play for free

why are you bitching about it

[loramin]

Originally Posted by Tunabros [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

can you just enjoy something that was made so people like us can play for free

why are you bitching about it

Do you feel anything for the developers who made it possible for you to play here? Do you think their wishes (after spending years writing code for zero pay) should be respected? Or should P99 break the law to directly go against their wishes?

[Danth]

Originally Posted by loramin [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

The moment they put that license on their source code repository it was out of their hands, legally speaking: that code has been released under that license.

You're skipping the practical side: Who's going to sue? Copyright law isn't criminal and the government isn't going to do it on its own. They might technically be in violation but if nobody cares they can violate 'till the end of days and it doesn't matter. That was the same reason P99 existed at all prior to 2015: Letter of the law aside, the owners of the EQ IP never cared enough to make a fuss over it. Copyright law is funny like that and in many cases it very much boils down in a defacto sense to, "It's only illegal if someone cares." Again, I remind you of who controls EQ-Emulator.

Danth

[loramin]

Originally Posted by Danth [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

You're skipping the practical side: Who's going to sue? Copyright law isn't criminal and the government isn't going to do it on its own. They might technically be in violation but if nobody cares they can violate 'till the end of days and it doesn't matter. That was the same reason P99 existed at all prior to 2015: Letter of the law aside, the owners of the EQ IP never cared enough to make a fuss over it. Copyright law is funny like that and in many cases it very much boils down in a defacto sense to, "It's only illegal if someone cares." Again, I remind you of who controls EQ-Emulator.

Danth

Anyone who wants access to P99 source code could complain. Any other emulated server for instance, as they might want to benefit from P99's work, just as P99 benefited from EQ Emulator's work (again, the entire point of GPL3).

But it could be anyone, even you or me, because the GPL3 license provides a community benefit (ie. the EQ Emulator people gave their source code to the community under a license, so the entire community suffers if that license is violated).

And there's an entire site setup to handle such complaints: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-violation.en.html. Potentially the Free Software Foundation might even get involved and provide free legal aid.

(Now, once a complaint is made I believe they'll first try to get the rights holder to pursue it, and if the rights holder doesn't want to that might gum up the works a bit ... again, I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know those details. But the point is, once you open source a creative work, you can't "take it back", so even if the EQ Emu people truly said "We think the GPL3 was a mistake, sorry R&N" it wouldn't matter, legally.)

[Danth]

We'll see. I note you haven't posted this same objection on TAKP's site even though it doesn't publish its changes either (it says it will "some day," but that's not good enough for compliance) so you're taking aim at P99 specifically for some reason. What motivated you to "turn heel?" We've seen motivated community members do that before, usually due to feeling slighted in some way or another. Reminds me of people practically spamming Sony/Daybreak about P99's existence prior to the 2015 agreement. Feel free to fill me in via PM if you don't care for some of the usual jokers around here sticking their noses in.

Danth

[Tunabros]

Originally Posted by loramin [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Do you feel anything for the developers who made it possible for you to play here? Do you think their wishes (after spending years writing code for zero pay) should be respected? Or should P99 break the law to directly go against their wishes?

no one cares enough to sue p99

not sure why you're trying to take down a server you spent so much time writing stupid wiki articles on and finding bugs

[Trexller]

Originally Posted by Tunabros [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

no one cares enough to sue p99

not sure why you're trying to take down a server you spent so much time writing stupid wiki articles on and finding bugs

no server means no wiki means loramin can have his life back

nilbog has loramin chained up in the basement and he has to earn food/toilet privileges by wiki update quotas

[Skarne]

I don’t think anything will happen unless someone tells the folks who wrote the original code and points out that…you know what never mind I don’t give a shit.