Billboard FC Banned

[Valfreyja]

Nah, action on this needs to be pretty harsh. They arguably disrupted an entire server during the launch of a brand new feature (it's hard to say how much would have happened *anyway* given it's Balmung, but... the news story did not help), broke multiple TOS entries, and used copyrighted imagery without permission. They broke actual laws.

Not saying everyone in the FC needs to be banned, that is overly harsh, but anyone involved with the leadership and/or planning of the billboard needs to go. It was too far, and if punishment is insufficient people will just push the boundaries further next time.

Atma is right. People only understand harsh penalties.
If you baby them through stuff, they just keep pushing and pushing.

[ballprince]

Lol, not surprised they deleted my thread and not really mad about it, but PLEASE fact check your info around this event and do not take anything for certain.

And don't go harass the FC. Not that I really think people on the forums are doing it.

Let square handle it, at this point. Move on with your lives and have a little giggle, and enjoy the game! We can't hold our breath for whatever action they may or may not take, and certainly won't tell us about more than likely.

[Lunalepsy]

It's just yesterday's news.

[SonjaRampage]

I don't really see the harm tbh, and if anything it made more people aware of the game. People calling for harsh action to be taken need to relax lol... authoritarian much?

[LisSquid]

If you baby them through stuff, they just keep pushing and pushing.

Do you think if they get a slap on the wrist we'll be able to get a blimp next?

[Catwho]

I don't really see the harm tbh, and if anything it made more people aware of the game. People calling for harsh action to be taken need to relax lol... authoritarian much?

The thing about copyright law is that you have to defend it aggressively and harshly, because if you don't for one person or group of people, it can be used against you the next time someone else violates your intellectual property.

That's why Disney famously went after anyone who even thought about infringing their copyrights, to the point of forcing my elementary school to paint over the Mickey Mouse murals on the walls of the lunch room. The justice system in the US is brutal - so I fully expect lawyers to already be involved. They will likely get nothing more than a C&D for the billboard, but those who data mined and the modders are now rightfully in fear for their own accounts over the incident. They have a right to angry over the issue, although they do not have a right to harass the FC or the members. But now it may be that SE will stop turning a blind eye to modders and data miners on social media, and start banning accounts too, since people went a bridge too far.

SE's media usage policy is fairly generous - and if it was a billboard with no mods and no data mined clothing, I do not think they'd pursue legal action. It's the mods that are going to make this an interesting legal case.

[Infindox]

Nah, action on this needs to be pretty harsh. They arguably disrupted an entire server during the launch of a brand new feature (it's hard to say how much would have happened *anyway* given it's Balmung, but... the news story did not help), broke multiple TOS entries, and used copyrighted imagery without permission. They broke actual laws.

Not saying everyone in the FC needs to be banned, that is overly harsh, but anyone involved with the leadership and/or planning of the billboard needs to go. It was too far, and if punishment is insufficient people will just push the boundaries further next time.

I came back and read your reply, I think that the leadership needs at least the most punishment. I think I was trying to be too nice last night lol

[Infindox]

I don't really see the harm tbh, and if anything it made more people aware of the game. People calling for harsh action to be taken need to relax lol... authoritarian much?

Well see the problem with that is it made the people aware of the game in the wrong ways. Their website and discord both were connected to NSFW, some I would consider pedophilia ("age play"), even though they can insist on their discord server to have been under age restriction, all too easy to still see it. Not something you would want associated with your brand.

Though at this point is just sit back and see what happens Saturday.

[Myrany]

I don't really see the harm tbh, and if anything it made more people aware of the game. People calling for harsh action to be taken need to relax lol... authoritarian much?

They used the FFXIV logo. That makes it a trademark violation. At least under US law failing to defend a trademark means losing the trademark. SE may not have any choice but to do something.

[Catwho]

They used the FFXIV logo. That makes it a trademark violation. At least under US law failing to defend a trademark means losing the trademark. SE may not have any choice but to do something.

Since the FFXIV logo is an in game asset that can be slapped onto any screenshot in sticker mode, that I'm not so sure about. And the media usage license requires that it have the FXIV copyright notice on it.