1. #1

    Botting in d3 a criminal offense?

    Diablo3 was the first game to use real money in game, does this open up potential criminal charges for those cheating?

  2. #2
    Hoof Hearted!!!
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    Quote Originally Posted by chadwix View Post
    Diablo3 was the first game to use real money in game, does this open up potential criminal charges for those cheating?
    Yes, since the contract you digitally signed in order to play the game states that you cannot do so, and it is a breach of contract if you do it.
    when all else fails, read the STICKIES.

  3. #3
    Stood in the Fire viciouss's Avatar
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    Breach of contract is not always a criminal offense
    If I weren't insane: I couldn't be so brilliant!

  4. #4
    Yes, but realistically, all Blizzard will do is just ban your account.
    Quote Originally Posted by Precursor View Post
    "Fall of therzane....." ....um what? if that woman fell , god help us it will be the second cataclysm
    Words that lots of people don't seem to know the definition of:
    "Troll", "Rehash", "Casual", "Dead", "Dying", "Exploit".

  5. #5
    yes botting then putting the item earned via botting is criminal it is considered stealing as such depending on the amount earned in this way it can be a felony.

  6. #6
    Honorary PvM "Mod" Darsithis's Avatar
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    I doubt it. The cost of pursuing it, if it's a legal option (which I don't think it is) would probably make it pointless. They'd just ban ya.

  7. #7
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    I suspect some clever lawyer out there could find a law in there somewhere but no one is like to pursue that over Diablo. In some countries theft of a digital account (especially such as second life in some asian countries), is considered a pretty serious criminal offense... and I could see hacking as far more pursuable for criminal offenses than botting.... but as long as blizzard can restore items and accounts, no one is likely to pursue.

    Also the fact that many cheaters are not even going to be in the same country as those they are essentially "stealing" from, along with the difficulty of tracking people down when using proxies surely would make life very difficult for any prosecutor that decided to chase something done on a digital game platform.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Darsithis View Post
    I doubt it. The cost of pursuing it, if it's a legal option (which I don't think it is) would probably make it pointless. They'd just ban ya.
    Sadly this yes Would be amusing to read one day inn the news, that a guy did get charged for botting trough. Can you imagine the headline?
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  9. #9
    Herald of the Titans theredviola's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nightelfsb View Post
    Sadly this yes Would be amusing to read one day inn the news, that a guy did get charged for botting trough. Can you imagine the headline?
    No because it will never happen. Blizzard makes money off bots in D3 so they'll merely ban them.
    "Do not only practice your art, but force yourself into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine." -- Ludwig Van Beethoven

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by chadwix View Post
    Diablo3 was the first game to use real money in game, does this open up potential criminal charges for those cheating?
    Uhm. Since when using various devices and utilities to do your job was considered a criminal offence? Its called technical progress. Everything you see around you was made possible due to automation.
    Would you sue Intel for not assembling your processor manually?

    Don't blame the people that they want to automate stupid repetitive things that does not require even half of the brain to do.
    Blame the developer that made the gameplay so primitive that even bots can play it.

  11. #11
    Not unless it was done on a massive scale.

  12. #12
    No. It is not a criminal offence unless there was fraud, money laundering or another illegal act performed in the process.

    Breaking the ToS / EULA is NOT against the law. It is just against the rules, and will get your account banned.

  13. #13
    How about if someone scams me, can i subpoena blizzard to release this players information so i can bring charges, since it involves real money?

  14. #14
    D3 is absolutely not the first game to include real money as a means to currency and being able to cash out. Second Life has been doing it for many years, EVE online stuff has real value but I'm not sure if the game actually supports cashing out. I've read articles about people stealing massive amounts of real money via the in game currency (EVE Online) in scams, which was entirely legal. I'm sure there's lots of other games, too.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by chadwix View Post
    How about if someone scams me, can i subpoena blizzard to release this players information so i can bring charges, since it involves real money?
    Obviously you can't. But judge can. If judge will decide that it is important, he can make blizzard to give out the information about this player.
    But personally I think that it might be damn hard to convince judge to take your case serious.
    Nothing impossible so. Internet fraud is not something people can't go to jail for. All you need is a good lawyer and... I don't know. Witnesses?

  16. #16
    A company big as blizzard has a law department and pays for lawers either so.. so going against illegal activities that has to do with the game is not an extra expense for them...but it won't hunt small fishes.. probably will go against ppl who are doing a scam more professional... and depends the country that this happens.. Also the most important reason for a company like blizzard to hunt ppl that abuse their system is to avoid sues from other players that got scammed. Lot's of crazyness arround :P Don't forget what happened at Korea when the game published that goverment of Korea demanded refunds for unhappy customers..

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Smallnuts View Post
    Not unless it was done on a massive scale.
    Like that guy who made a video about how he runs 40 bots 24/7?
    Quote Originally Posted by Precursor View Post
    "Fall of therzane....." ....um what? if that woman fell , god help us it will be the second cataclysm
    Words that lots of people don't seem to know the definition of:
    "Troll", "Rehash", "Casual", "Dead", "Dying", "Exploit".

  18. #18
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    criminal offense, like going on your criminal record, i'm no lawyer, so i very much doubt it.

    Unless you can prove you consciently and intentionally endeavor to harm a company, which botting isn't, it is way to far fetch to link both runnig a program that play the game for you and a potential loss of money from blizzard, you can't have a clear and indisputable reasoning for that.

    Now, hacking into client database, like what happened to sony a while back is definitely a criminal offense and years of prison are warranted for the culprit (if they can catch them)

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nightelfsb View Post
    Sadly this yes Would be amusing to read one day inn the news, that a guy did get charged for botting trough. Can you imagine the headline?

    There were 2 arrests made in Korea over botting last year, the thread is still on this forum somewhere.

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