Code of Conduct Update - September 25th 2019

[Sylar]

Just now, Abraxus said:

Perhaps as an act of good faith to prove they are serious.  Who knows.  We won't know the details of these talks until it's a done deal, so no use in speculating.  But, this is exactly the kind of thing I would expect NCSoft to insist upon before granting their seal of approval.

you speculated not me, i questioned the idea of this move, the "talks" have been going on alot longer than, well attemtps to up until the private servers came about, i have no hope in the talks since its taken what 7 years to get NCSofts attention?

[Arkterusss]

Just now, Obsidius said:

Hi buddy, I'm not projecting, but like Homecoming, I don't need to be 100% transparent with my motives 😄

Okay man great, maybe next time post something constructive.  You'll get there! 👌

[GM Capocollo]

Just now, Sylar said:

you speculated not me, i questioned the idea of this move, the "talks" have been going on alot longer than, well attemtps to up until the private servers came about, i have no hope in the talks since its taken what 7 years to get NCSofts attention?

There have been multiple attempts over the years, some which got further along than others before being abandoned, not one single group trying for seven years straight.  The people involved in the negotiation on the HC Team side weren't part of the earlier parlays.

[MetaVileTerror]

@Mjolnerd . . . you should actually be alright.  "Pickle Rick" is an owned intellectual property.  "Prickle Rick" is a parody, and is therefore safe by North American law.
It'll come down to the GMs'/Devs' decision, but parodies should be acceptable.  Just be sure to parody-it-up to suitable levels.

[Sylar]

1 minute ago, GM Capocollo said:

There have been multiple attempts over the years, some which got further along than others before being abandoned, not one single group trying for seven years straight.  The people involved in the negotiation on the HC Team side weren't part of the earlier parlays.

but whats different now? the personal information database that someone has? or so i heard.

[Kistulot]

So, my main issue...

 

Will the AE be wrecked like it was in live, where we cant even use the word Gambit for fear of Marvel getting pissy at us?

I know you really want this server to be above board (that honestly seems a bit misplaced of a priority to me, but that's just me) but I'm really hoping that we can be a bit more sane and logical than it was on live.

[ZorkNemesis]

I do have to ask though, what's the range of the copyright?  I mean ideally all copyrightten characters shouldn't be allowed, but what are you specifically looking for?  I can definetly see not allowing clones of other comic characters or major media franchises, but what about lesser things, like my aforementioned Hamburglar or something more obscure and/or niche?  What about deliberate parodies, like a group of people on Triumph many years ago who did a whole Sentai bit that wasn't exactly Sentai but in the spirit of it?

Edited September 25, 2019 by ZorkNemesis

[Sylar]

Just now, Abraxus said:

Whatever talks went one before the ones that started in April/May of this year, are a totally separate thing from what was attempted in the past.  They are also the first ones that have taken place in the "post code leak to the internet", which is likely the only reason why NCSoft showed interest after all this time.  So, from that perspective, the talks have been going on for 3.5 months, and that's all.  Most of us consider this deal a good thing, if successful.

the server got leaked by an angry ex player of the secret server, if the server never gotl eaked then these talks wouldn't of happened.

[Obsidius]

8 minutes ago, Arkterusss said:

Okay man great, maybe next time post something constructive.  You'll get there! 👌

Oh man, the irony, chum.

 

This could just well be a preparatory move by Homecoming. Why take unnecessary risks with getting a lawsuit thrown at the game if NCSoft is thinking about stamping their seal of approval on it? NCSoft wouldn't want to be on the hook for it as a named party if a copyright suit went to court. It might be jumping to conclusions for some, but it's based in logic.

 

Sorry for all the people that made Batman and Spider-Man homages actually named Batman or Spider-Man and made them look exactly like those characters (or so close to infer that it's more a copyright violation than parody or homage).

Edited September 25, 2019 by Obsidius
sp

[subbacultchas]

I've been very vocal about why I do not think this is a real issue, as you likely know. But I'm not angry about this in the least. If you think it could potentially be one, you are perfectly within your rights to do this to protect what we have here. So no arguments from me at all, and just keep up the good work yall have been doing.

[Abraxus]

Just now, Sylar said:

the server got leaked by an angry ex player of the secret server, if the server never gotl eaked then these talks wouldn't of happened.

How it happened is less important that the fact that it did indeed happen, and because of that sequence of events, we find ourselves potentially on the brink of legitimacy, and all that entails.  Including, enforcement of a rule that applied to the live servers back in the day.  Clue there?  I certainly hope so! 😉

[Arkterusss]

1 minute ago, Obsidius said:

Oh man, the irony, chum.

 

This could just well be a predatory move by Homecoming. Why take unnecessary risks with getting a lawsuit thrown at the game if NCSoft is thinking about stamping their seal of approval on it? NCSoft wouldn't want to be on the hook for it as a named party if a copyright suit went to court. It might be jumping to conclusions for some, but it's based in logic.

 

Sorry for all the people that made Batman and Spider-Man homages actually named Batman or Spider-Man and made them look exactly like those characters (or so close to infer that it's more a copyright violation than parody or homage).

None of that is related to my line of inquiry.

[Sidious]

I just want to know how close are they looking? Exact names? Exact costumes?

 

It's really hard to get an exact costume with the character creator so most of them can be considered homages.

knowing the parameters would help.

[MetaVileTerror]

Not a GM.  Not a lawyer.  Just me.

If I were in your position, the _name_ Hamburglar should be avoided, but a "tribute character" or "parody character" with a comedic likeness to the Hamburglar would be something I might even try.

But then, the Hamburgler isn't a video game character, like a lot of Marvel and DCs intellectual properties have become in actively competing video games and other media.  And Marvel and DC are /especially/ litigious, and have a history of coming after City of Heroes in the past.  McDonalds . . . well, actually, they're pretty litigious too.

Ok, maybe Hamburgler /isn't/ a good idea . . . 

 

If a GM has the chance, though, please feel free to tell me I am very, very wrong with my assumptions.  I don't want anyone getting in trouble due to my theorizing.

[Obsidius]

1 minute ago, Arkterusss said:

None of that is related to my line of inquiry.

I didn't say it was, I was just contributing something constructive to the topic. 👍

[Thraxis]

Why do I think a server code reversion to i23 and wiping of all out HC characters is next

[Obsidius]

1 minute ago, Thraxis said:

Why do I think a server code reversion to i23 and wiping of all out HC characters is next

Because you're jumping to conclusions.

[subbacultchas]

3 minutes ago, Sidious said:

I just want to know how close are they looking? Exact names? Exact costumes?

 

It's really hard to get an exact costume with the character creator so most of them can be considered homages.

knowing the parameters would help.

Hard saying, but I suspect it may be more of a "we will know it if we see it" type thing.

[Sidious]

1 minute ago, Thraxis said:

Why do I think a server code reversion to i23 and wiping of all out HC characters is next

would never happen. they'd loose to much player base.

[Sylar]

1 minute ago, Thraxis said:

Why do I think a server code reversion to i23 and wiping of all out HC characters is next

oh it will happen, if the "deal" goes through, everything will be wiped, the code will revert to issue 24 and everyone will lose everything, again.

[subbacultchas]

There is nothing to suggest that's accurate Sylar. Just saying.

[Troo]

1 hour ago, Sylar said:

not if the deal is finalized, why the F would HC agree to something like that if the deal isn't even set? that's like asking people to jump through hoops on the 0.1% chance of getting a can opener for their spaghetti, yeah no what an actual dumb move.

It is sensible to mitigate risk where possible, especially if it is easy to do.

I can see it being annoying, but less annoying than not getting to play at all.

 

Edited September 25, 2019 by Troo
grammar

[Abraxus]

I have a tribute character that could easily be judged as too close to the mark.  It's not a comic book character, but it is recognizable.  I just checked, and he's still him for the moment.  But, who knows how long that will last.  😉

He's L50+++, and if he gets reset, it ain't gonna be the end of my world.

[subbacultchas]

Oddly, though I've been vocal about this, I have no copyrighted or homage characters. I do have the Gorgon sisters, but I think Greek mythological beings are probably in the public domain by now 🙂

 

[Haijinx]

This is really nbd since on homecomming you can change your name at will, and you get so many costume slots.

 

Just go from a copy to a capt ersatz.

 

Though probably don't make a "Captain Ersatz(tm)"