Account Sharing...?

[Nomial17]

So i just saw a thread about this and I have a question of my own to ask really...what is the true definition of account sharing, or is it something so ambiguous to make it seem that you can never get around it. Of course Trial accounts have some reasons, but those are only minute parts of the game, you dont really get to see what goes or whats involved in the game, so how it possibly be that letting a friend try a game on an account that you pay for on your computer is a bannable offense?

On the other hand, no one would really ever know unless you made post after post about it that you were in fact account sharing. I just dont see why it would be considered account sharing.

[The Colonel]

Whenever anybody other than the user listed for the Battle.net account uses the account, you are account sharing. There's a bit more fiddling with the adult/minor rules but that's pretty much it.

[Deleted]

Any moment where anyone but the person, whose name the account is registered on, controls a character on said account, it is considered "Account Sharing"...

[Bluey111]

no matter how you put it, no matter the circumstances account sharing is against the terms of use and will most likely get you banned if you are found out, that is why there is trial accounts for people to try out the game

[Seriss]

Account sharing is allowing someone to play with anything that is in or on your account. I don't see what's so hard to understand about it.

It doesn't matter who enters the log-in data. It doesn't matter which computer you're using. If anybody else but YOU uses YOUR account for anything at all, you have shared your account. You are the only person in the world who is allowed to use your account. Only you. Not your mom, your dad (well, if you're a minor, you're allowed to play on THEIR account - the account uses their name after all as a minor can technically not own a WoW account, but that's it), not your brother, sister, cousin, best friend. Nobody. Only you. Only you may use this account.

Now, while probably nothing bad will come out of your friend pressing a few buttons while you're looking over their shoulder and explaining stuff to them, it does happen that 'friends' screw up stuff, delete characters and just generally do 'funny' things on WoW and may get you in trouble. And that's why you should keep your account safe from even your best friend. People turn on each other all the time or screw each other over for fun.

[Deleted]

Account sharing is basically letting anyone other than you use your account.

How would you feel if a friend who you had let use your account decided to log in to your main character and vendor all your epic gear and the GM wouldn't return it because you knowingly let someone use your account? Or they started mouthing off and giving you a bad name? Even if they stay on a character that you created for them and they started being a jerk in /2 and was reported and got you a ban?

[Deleted]

account sharing is stupid.

get an authenticator :b

[Deleted]

Always wanted to know...

Mom buys the game for her son, she sets the account up in her name as he is to young to have an account, she logs on for him and lets him play.. is this account sharing?

Lets say he has a brother who wants to play also, does that mean she needs to BUY a second account for him to play on... going on the basic there is only 1 family PC. the mom does not play just her son/s?

[The Colonel]

For each adult holding an account, a child is allowed to also use that account. In the cited example, the mother would have to purchase an additional account for the second son.

[Deleted]

For each adult holding an account, a child is allowed to also use that account. In the cited example, the mother would have to purchase an additional account for the second son.

huh im pretty sure most mothers would tell them to share given the fact the could be the same age and not spending hours and hours on it..

Wonder if said mother would just find them a free online game to play rather then buying the game, trhen paying a monthly fee for each child to play

[cccp]

If you get hacked just look around you...

[Nomial17]

Great but I mean like really, trial accounts are boring and almost useless, sure WOWs only 20$, but I mean really...a bannable offense? Its not like your giving the account to someone (Although I think this is more in place to prevent that activity seeing as theres no way to decide if one is just sharing or selling/buying an account)

[Deleted]

Well how does blizzard see that you are sharing your account? that you´re playing on an other IP adress?

I mean if you´re (laning?) with friends and most of the time away from your home on an other IP adress wouldn´t that count as sharing ? because the only way to see acount sharing is through IP address ?

[The Colonel]

Blizzard cannot make the distinction, but that doesn't mean you aren't breaking the terms of service.

I'm not condoning your actions. I'm not telling you whether or not to do them. If you do this, you are breaking the terms of service. Whether Blizzard can or cannot punish you is a matter in itself.

[Deleted]

Honestly, I don't see a real reason for acc sharing being against the rules, but I can see a reason why Blizzard put this "behind the line". If a person, who has access to your acc, somehow steals it, or does something against the rules from your acc, it's basically your problem and your stupidity for letting him play. Still, people will try to solve this, spamming tickets and forms, hoping Blizzard will help them. There's nothing easier than forbid this. Convenient, right? Their game, their rules, afterall. What's to discuss?

[Deleted]

Great but I mean like really, trial accounts are boring and almost useless, sure WOWs only 20$, but I mean really...a bannable offense? Its not like your giving the account to someone

You are, like the OP fromt he original message on the official forums, just trying to justify what is against the Terms. People have explained exactly and literally what is concidered "Account sharing". There is no discussion or debate about this. It is not allowed and it can be a bannable offense. Easy. Ofcourse, this is not detectable as long as you play on the same IP or even computer.
But should anything "funny" happen to your account, you alone are responsible for the account...

Well how does blizzard see that you are sharing your account? that you´re playing on an other IP adress?
I mean if you´re (laning?) with friends and most of the time away from your home on an other IP adress wouldn´t that count as sharing ? because the only way to see acount sharing is through IP address ?

This "IP-check" does not work too strict. It allows you to log in from another computer or even another location. Myself, I have been using a laptop and connect it on different locations in the country. As long as you are not logging in from China at 12:38 and from Germany around 17:00, you should have no problem with the IP checks...

[Keilith]

Its against TOS to cover their buts. How many times a day do you think blizzard hears "I didn't do that, my idiot friend did!" The account sharing is in place so blizz can respond well you arnt supposed to share. YOU clicked I accept to TOS not your friend. You pay for your account not your friend. Your friend has no reason to follow the rules you do.

The ONLY exception is parents and minors. The reason is blizz can hold the parents responsible for the kids action. Also they know if the kid gets them banned the parents can smack their kid for wasting their 15 dollars a month. This is not always the case but its the main reason.

[Deathquoi]

Its against TOS to cover their buts. How many times a day do you think blizzard hears "I didn't do that, my idiot friend did!" The account sharing is in place so blizz can respond well you arnt supposed to share. YOU clicked I accept to TOS not your friend. You pay for your account not your friend. Your friend has no reason to follow the rules you do.

The ONLY exception is parents and minors. The reason is blizz can hold the parents responsible for the kids action. Also they know if the kid gets them banned the parents can smack their kid for wasting their 15 dollars a month. This is not always the case but its the main reason.

This. It's not that they're going to actively ban people for it.

[schippie]

This is from the offical site: http://us.blizzard.com/support/artic...rticleId=21506

Account Sharing/Third-Party Character Advancement ("Power Leveling")
Only two people are EVER allowed to access the account (from the moment the account is created to the end of time). Who are those two people? The first is the person who set up the account in their own name (you aren't allowed to set up an account in any name other than your own legal name). The second is one (1) of the children or trustees (under age 18) of the first person. Not siblings, not parents, not spouses, not friends, not strangers.

So that means these people are allowed to acces the same account:

-the account creator
-the childeren under the age of 18 of the account creator


Tho if you let somebody play on your account (at your own home behind your comp) blizz wont be able to find out about it anyway i guess.

[anywherenotes]

Always wanted to know...

Mom buys the game for her son, she sets the account up in her name as he is to young to have an account, she logs on for him and lets him play.. is this account sharing?

Lets say he has a brother who wants to play also, does that mean she needs to BUY a second account for him to play on... going on the basic there is only 1 family PC. the mom does not play just her son/s?

The mom would need to buy another account for her second son.

I'm sure in that situation though, the compromise would be that neither of them have the account, or they share the account. I don't understand why a parent would buy two subscriptions for same game for same PC - that's 360 dollars per year in just subscription costs ...

I don't think I would have joined WoW if all I was allowed to play was the trial account. I started off on another account, and got my toon to low-teens before buying the game. The guy showed me how his talent-trees worked, how AH worked, and other similar things, before I ever got an account.
How do you even get a trial account? I had a 56k modem back then, I wouldn't have downloaded the game.