Homecoming Server Update (May 7th): Donations

[Supercell]

Oh and I just wanted to offer my opinion here, though I realize it isn't one that matters, but I think you shouldn't provide any benefits to those of us who donate.  And I say that as someone who was able to do so before it went down.  The reason being is because not everyone who wants to donate will be able to before you reach your goals.  Just let those of us who want to help out do so and let the rest play for free in this amazing game brought back from the dead.  That's my two cents anyway!

[Rodion]

What? Donations are already closed!?

 

Take my money!

 

Seriously, thanks for all the work you're doing.

[IronCripple]

While it's nice to see CoH live,  wasn't donations a thing they said they wouldn't do?

[HelenCarnate]

This is a terrible idea. Why do you think NCSoft will let you do this? You're already a large server running copyrighted material, and now you're accepting monetary donations? I hope this does work out for you guys though.

 

They are a non profit. At most NCSoft would make them stop and sue them for the profits that were made which (assuming they are running the non profit correctly) is 0.

[Murcielago]

Dang, I wish I had been able to donate. :(

[metalb00]

While it's nice to see CoH live,  wasn't donations a thing they said they wouldn't do?

 

not till they could do it right.  seems they are a llc now, should shield a single person from the tax burden

[Nferno]

Dang, I wish I had been able to donate. :(

 

Let’s hope the future is long and bright and there is plenty of opportunity to donate! I for one truly cannot even express how excited I am to be able to play this game again. My kids and I have said repeatedly for years “remember when we played CoH (insert awesome memory here)....” and “man I would love for that game to come back”!!

 

 

[vallerainth]

Just got home from work and I just found out about the donations so I did not get a chance to contribute. My brother and I have been waiting to express our thanks any way we could so I'm kinda bummed out about that. However, I am overjoyed the community crushed that goal so quickly. If I may request a heads up for next month's fees so that we can have a better chance to support the servers we would be very appreciative.

 

Thank you Homecoming team, and thank you to this unbelievable community.

[Noyjitat]

OVH was good to us for swglegends so Im glad you chose them as the host.

[scarasyte]

You already met this months goal? WOW! Well I should expect that. A lot of folks really miss this game.

[Emberly]

Christ, I come home from work and find that we can donate at last, and then I see it's closed already. What a rollercoaster of emotion. Well, I'll be sending you capebux next month.

[Heraclea]

Well, that was quick.

 

[nyhm]

So we cant donate if youve met your goal? or will it go up monthly? I just checked the link it says now closed. Could you setup a Patreon?

[Machariel]

I think having absolutely no reward for donating is quite appropriate, because - quite apparently - donating is its own reward!

Gotta train that Super Speed and try to be faster for next month ;-)

[adarict]

While it's nice to see CoH live,  wasn't donations a thing they said they wouldn't do?

 

not till they could do it right.  seems they are a llc now, should shield a single person from the tax burden

 

I am having trouble wrapping my head around this.  I understand the LLC to protect them from taxes, as well as to shield their personal assets from being used to pay off fines or things.  I don't really know what the non-profit part has to do with anything.  All of this is perfectly acceptable as a personal shield for those putting in all this effort, which I very much appreciate.  I have been playing on here since I could first get logged in and have been on pretty much every available moment I have had.  What I am having trouble with is, how is this LLC, or non-profit status, going to prevent NCSoft from shutting it down?  As long as no money was changing hands, it would be somewhat easy for NCSoft to turn a blind eye.  When you start accepting money, even strictly for upkeep costs, you have crossed a legal line.  This is a server farm running stolen code, without the permission of the owners of the software.  If you accept money, even without making a profit, it is still a crime, and it is something that the owners of the software would have a much easier time proving as a crime with higher penalties than if it were simply a "hobby" server.  Unless things have changed, the rules regarding abandoned software, still do not apply to MMOs, except in a very narrow set of situations.

 

Don't get me wrong, I do not begrudge ANY of the teams from defraying some of the costs of this.  I work with large datacenters, and in software development.  I know the costs as well as the effort involved in things like this.  They shouldn't have to shoulder the cost on their own.  What I am afraid of is, NCSoft swooping in and suing them out of business, and the game disappearing again.  Granted, we will always have local servers, and there will be lots of other servers popping up, but I want something with some level of permanence. The Homecoming team have taken a hobby serer, and turned it into an actual corporate entity, whose entire purpose is to provide, modify and disseminate stolen software, and are taking money for doing so.  That paints an awfully big target on their backs. 

 

There are other ways money could have been solicited to do this, that would have at least made it harder to say "Hey look at that company that is very publicly ignoring copyright and trademark law as their primary function!"

 

I just really do not want to lose these servers.  So far, they are the largest, and most closely resemble what we had at shutdown.  I could care less about the inter-group drama going on.  Until it actually impacts my ability to enjoy the game, I don't really care about the different groups and who did what or who said what.  Maybe there is a lot going on behind the scenes that would put my mind at ease if I knew.  I have not seen the papers of incorporation.  Maybe the way it is worded, it won't seem to brazen.  Naming the LLC after the group you have been publicly using with this game doesn't seem like a great plan, but still.

 

I guess what I really want is, what assurances do we have that this LLC and/or the non-profit will shield the GAME being run?  I completely understand how it protects the people RUNNING the LLC.

[Scientist]

What I am afraid of is, NCSoft swooping in and suing them out of business, and the game disappearing again.  Granted, we will always have local servers, and there will be lots of other servers popping up, but I want something with some level of permanence. The Homecoming team have taken a hobby serer, and turned it into an actual corporate entity, whose entire purpose is to provide, modify and disseminate stolen software, and are taking money for doing so.  That paints an awfully big target on their backs. 

 

[snip]

 

I guess what I really want is, what assurances do we have that this LLC and/or the non-profit will shield the GAME being run?  I completely understand how it protects the people RUNNING the LLC.

 

There are no, and never have been, assurances that NCSoft won't shut this down.  What this setup of a LLC means is that if NCSoft comes in and sues them, the most money they can get is whatever is in their LLC account to pay for servers, as you mention above.  They can't go after the individual assets of the people running it.  That is how the "corporate veil" works, providing they are careful and don't co-mingle funds.  So this provides a lot more protection for the people running it.  I think that is all we can get for now, unless NCSoft comes to some kind of license agreement with them.  I don't think there is a downside regarding NCSoft coming after them, either way it is pretty clear they are not trying to profit from NCSoft's intellectual property, so it still depends on (1) if NCSoft finds out, and (2) if they care. 

[Burnt Toast]

Well shoot - went to donate and goal has already been met. Will have to be faster next month :)

[Doughboy]

I was going to donate $50, but didn't learn about this before donations were closed.

 

Please let us know once you've set up a Patreon. I'll happily donate $15 a month or so!

[Primantis]

Yeesh! donations capped quick!

 

I wasn't fast enough to give you my money xD

 

Next month then!

[MERCURY DRIPS]

Thanks so much for your transparency and all the TIME AND MONEY you are giving in order to keep  Paragon up for the Community !

This donation is just normal and the way for all the heroes to contribute to the global effort.

God bless us all :)

[jkwak]

 

Homecoming Servers LLC is not currently a non-profit as it’s a multi-month process to set one up, but the eventual goal is to convert it into one (as previously mentioned, the entity was set up today)

 

i dont know much about US law, but for me thats not really a trustworthy move

i need further explonation

[Myrmidon]

Excellent! While I am the only one of my group that is likely to post on these forums, I can say without a doubt that we are all in.

[Burnt Toast]

Not much to explain - they created a company as a non-profit to protect themselves and allow them to receive donations to help with the costs of running the game.

They are transparent as to the costs and what is needed to run things and are only requesting that which is needed to meet those costs.

 

You cannot create a company in a day - but they have taken the needed steps to get the process going.

They are not looking to make money and so are only accepting donations to cover the costs to pay for servers etc each month (hence... non-profit).

 

 

Homecoming Servers LLC is not currently a non-profit as it’s a multi-month process to set one up, but the eventual goal is to convert it into one (as previously mentioned, the entity was set up today)

 

i dont know much about US law, but for me thats not really a trustworthy move

i need further explonation

[Misguidance]

Excellent work from the people who were much faster clicking the donation button than I was!

 

I'll just have to be faster next time... and again- a huge thank you to the team for getting everything set up here.

[jkwak]

Not much to explain - they created a company as a non-profit to protect themselves and allow them to receive donations to help with the costs of running the game.

They are transparent as to the costs and what is needed to run things and are only requesting that which is needed to meet those costs.

 

You cannot create a company in a day - but they have taken the needed steps to get the process going.

They are not looking to make money and so are only accepting donations to cover the costs to pay for servers etc each month (hence... non-profit).

 

ok, but i weirdet me out a bit, thats no where close to the way you create a non-profit in my country