Blizzard is currently in the process of suing the creator of bot software which auto-performs certain actions and tasks in World of Wacraft.
Reported by the BBC, the developer claims that Michael Donnelly's Glider software infringes on copyright, WoW's EULA, and potentially damages the game.
"Blizzard's designs expectations are frustrated, and resources are allocated unevenly, when bots are introduced into the WoW universe, because bots spend far more time in-game than an ordinary player would and consume resources the entire time", Blizzard has said in a legal submission.
Apparently, Donnelly only became aware that legal action was going to be taken when a Vivendi attack lawyer and a private investigator appeared on his doorstep and handed him the legal complaint.
"...they indicated [the complaint] would be filed the next day in the US District Court for the Central District of California if Donnelly did not immediately agree to stop selling Glider and return all profits that he made from Glider sales", Donnelly said in his own legal submission.
Sales figures of Glider are described as being "over 100,000."Ninety-nine percent of which, presumably, is down to Chinese gold farming operations.
As things currently stand, it's basically a case of Blizzard saying, 'Yes you are being naughty', and Donnelly saying, 'Oh no I'm not'. Both parties await the court judgement.
Mar 26, 2008
