When it comes down to it, I'm human and I support what make someone
happy so long as it doesn't hurt others. The notion that someone who
says that you aren't allowed to enjoy something that you enjoy anymore
actually being the good guy because they say so signifies a few red flags for
me. If they don't care anymore -- about their product, about their
fans, and so on...
The notion that someone can steal and use something I own just because it makes them happy to do so is more disturbing, at least to me.
actually that happens. If someone owns a building in a city and makes no use of it or maintains it, then the city can take away ownership of that building or force them to do something with it. But if the owner does not do anything at all with owning that building, then they aren't viable to own it.
Though that may depend on country/state/city ordinates than world wide. But point stands, many cities aren't gonna want someone owning an empty building if it was designed to be a store or restaurant (or whatever it happens to be for) and letting it go to waste.
also to expand on that.
The government (in the US) can take land from anyone that owns that land, if they want to have that land (imminent domain I think its called)
So welcome to the real world, where the government (at least in the US) can take things that are owned by someone else or the city can take away rights to own a building if it isn't being used and sits empty for too long
Of course, this is a game IP and not land or a building. But point stands, anyone can own anything and it can be taken away from them. Own a car? Can be taken away. Own a house? Can be taken away. Own land? Can be and has been taken away.
Just because someone owns something doesn't mean much actually. I'd hate to be a landowner and lose so much of my land being taken over by the government, legally I suppose, and get pennies back on it from what its actually worth.
Also to add post-edit
In Australia, someone can own a house, but if someone moves in and lives there for 10 years and the person who owns the house does nothing with it or reports the person or does anything at all for 10 years, the person who (for free) moved in can actually legally own that house and the previous owner can do nothing about it.
So even if you own something it can be taken away (whether its a house, a building left empty for too long if its meant to be a store or restaurant or whatever, owning land that the government can take away or even your vehicle can be taken away for countless reasons)
So, did the government take away NCSofts right to own and control their IP?
When making analogies its better to stick comparable examples, emminent domain of physical property vs game IPs doesn't work so well.
you missed the point. One can own something and it can be taken away from someone, for any reason. Were you not able to counter that point? Because it happens all the time. Even if its not the government, can be married to someone, get a divorce and lose 50% of everything one has. The point is, own something and it can be taken away for any reason.
Waiting for a counter though, ball is in your court.
But all examples you give are documented, signed for and agreed upon, you are actually supporting NCsoft on their right to ‘take away’ the game from you, not the other way around. You knew they could, you even signed the agreement.
/Cheers, Lahnmir
'the only way he could nail it any better is if he used a cross.'
Kyleran on yours sincerely
'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'
Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...
'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless.
It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.
It is just huge resource waste....'
Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer
And over 1000 players on the server at once, at 2:20am today lol.
Progress from the 200 limit they started with. They have been working very hard the team and I hope the community appreciates this effort and not do too much complaining on Reddit. Sometimes you want to knock their heads together the people who comment but hey that be human beings.
First we had a thread here about a super secret CoH server being outed, and because it was outed, that server is no more.
The people who set that server up, then released all the code, enabling other's to set up servers.
Now we have this thread, about a not so secret CoH server, and people are treating it like the best thing since sliced bread, or the second coming of Christ, or something.
What is so different about this server? the super secret server did not last long once it was outed, what makes anyone think this very public, out in the open server will be any different?
It is a funny world we live in. We had Empires run by Emperors, we had Kingdoms run by Kings, now we have Countries...
"Though to answer what I view to be an
ill-thought out response: If there was clothing that I did not use, or
an object I did not use -- including a games console, games or just an
excess of money.... I would give it to charity so that someone who
enjoys it could have it as opposed to letting it rust."
You would GIVE it to charity. What if someone saw that you were not using it and TOOK it from you to give it to charity? Is that acceptable?
I give a lot of things to charity, but I don't think I would like someone to take what I made and distribute it because they think I am a selfish bastard for keeping my property to myself.
First we had a thread here about a super secret CoH server being outed, and because it was outed, that server is no more.
The people who set that server up, then released all the code, enabling other's to set up servers.
Now we have this thread, about a not so secret CoH server, and people are treating it like the best thing since sliced bread, or the second coming of Christ, or something.
What is so different about this server? the super secret server did not last long once it was outed, what makes anyone think this very public, out in the open server will be any different?
The secret server is still running, nobody or no entity shut it down, it was the backlash from the community, coders, programmers who have been working for 6 years to reverse engineer the client so we'd eventually be able to play again that caused the private server owner to release the code.
NCSoft has done nothing, probably won't bother doing anything, and if they do, the hosting has taken place strategically to where probably nothing will come of it.
Do you really think nobody has contacted NCSoft about the private server that's been run for over 6 years? The players who got banned for going against the NDA never were spiteful & contacted NCSoft? Sure it was confirmed publicly only recently, but there's been rumors of it for a long, long time now, and nothing has been done about it.
If something happens, and the server gets shut down, oh well. So we play on the next server. It's not like if they shut down 1 server it's gone for good again, the code is out, everybody who wants it can get it/already have it.
I don't see a reason to argue about when, if, how or why NCSoft could maybe eventually care enough to shut down a private server. Nobody knows what they are going to do.
The only thing that's irrefutable about the situation is there will be plenty more servers where that came from, if they ever did decide to try something.
Moreover, at this point, there could be 10 more private servers nobody knows about, the game is leaked at this point, how are they going to shut those down? Hire people to try and get invited into private servers?
When all is said and done, more is always said than done.
Yeah but you have to remember the biggest thing in business is the customer if you piss enough of them off what you have left is nothing you lose money.
What NCsoft has done is exactly that by closing customers favorite games will be pissing them off i mean its common sense unhappy customers leads to lost money people won't spend there money if they are mad at the company for any reason think about it.
All they had to do was put it in maintenance mode at least leave the game open or sit and think what they could do to keep people happy and still make money making some money is better then nothing at all what are they getting now NOTHING. They all think with there wallets/ignorance that's the real issue.
Considering how NCSOFT has continued to hold on to this IP like grim death, even when it seems to be of no monetary value to them what so ever, it is impossible they are going to let these private servers flourish without a fight. So for now I'm just going to eat popcorn and wait for the hilarity to ensue when they finally decide to bring the thunder.
The contrast between that paragraph and the graphic just below in the signature is kind of stunning.....
Honestly though, the more we're finding out about the end of CoX, the more it's becoming that the only reason the game was shutdown was internal office politics in NCSoft (if I've got that wrong from stuff I've read, please correct me). The game was clearly turning a profit for NCSoft and it just at cusp of the MCU explosion.
There are a lot of people, myself included, who would of gladly paid $5 or so a month for CoX to be put into permanent maintenance mode at i23 (no new content, just a bug patch every few months as needed) and they'd easily have made a profit on the server costs -- just look at what is going on now and the leaked powerpoint for CoH2 that is also floating around.
I've played on the SCORE server and I tell you that the community is still there, still strong, and we're all hoping that we can continue to play a game that for a lot of us felt was MORE than just a game to us.
For years, I've read on countless posts how the game (and the lack of it) moved people. I personally know of a few marriages that were only possible because of CoX (and yes, a couple of divorces too). As for myself, I know that CoX and the community helped me through one of the darkest periods of my life, and for that I will be forever grateful - good chance that without CoX and the community, I may not even be here today.
when I logged into to the SCORE server I recreated my main and went to the same spot in game where I last logged out seven years ago........and I cried.
For some, this is much more than just a game or an IP.
As for the legality, I can't speak on that. There are far too many twists and turns and laws that are vague in some aspects. But I do know that there are thousands of people today who are just a little happier...have a little extra pep in their step...just because of the events in the past few days. In all honesty, with all the troubles and turmoil in the world today, maybe we should all just step back and look at the graphic in the signature in the post I quoted........
First we had a thread here about a super secret CoH server being outed, and because it was outed, that server is no more.
The people who set that server up, then released all the code, enabling other's to set up servers.
Now we have this thread, about a not so secret CoH server, and people are treating it like the best thing since sliced bread, or the second coming of Christ, or something.
What is so different about this server? the super secret server did not last long once it was outed, what makes anyone think this very public, out in the open server will be any different?
The secret server is still running, nobody or no entity shut it down, it was the backlash from the community, coders, programmers who have been working for 6 years to reverse engineer the client so we'd eventually be able to play again that caused the private server owner to release the code.
NCSoft has done nothing, probably won't bother doing anything, and if they do, the hosting has taken place strategically to where probably nothing will come of it.
Do you really think nobody has contacted NCSoft about the private server that's been run for over 6 years? The players who got banned for going against the NDA never were spiteful & contacted NCSoft? Sure it was confirmed publicly only recently, but there's been rumors of it for a long, long time now, and nothing has been done about it.
If something happens, and the server gets shut down, oh well. So we play on the next server. It's not like if they shut down 1 server it's gone for good again, the code is out, everybody who wants it can get it/already have it.
I don't see a reason to argue about when, if, how or why NCSoft could maybe eventually care enough to shut down a private server. Nobody knows what they are going to do.
The only thing that's irrefutable about the situation is there will be plenty more servers where that came from, if they ever did decide to try something.
Moreover, at this point, there could be 10 more private servers nobody knows about, the game is leaked at this point, how are they going to shut those down? Hire people to try and get invited into private servers?
Did they "reverse engineer" it, though? I thought it was given by a former(?) employee. I could be wrong as lots of stories seem to be floating about
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse. - FARGIN_WAR
I mean NCsoft did go quite far shutting down Lineage 2 servers in the past. But it's not really comparable because that's when Lineage 2 was quite popular on the official servers too.
Proud member of best EU roleplaying guild Twitter - @theNILV Twitch - @theNILV
Innocuous, leader of the CoH Discord, had this to say: "After coming to consultation and deliberation, we have come up with a solution that will allow us to proceed with continuing on our path to restoring the community. However in doing so, we will have to sacrifice the heroes and villains of old in order to make sure we are intangible for the future. I understand this has taken a bit of time to deliberate, but we are finally able to press onward with full spatial awareness of the situation at hand. Thank you for your patience, now let's keep trudging forward."
Innocuous, leader of the CoH Discord, had this to say: "After coming to consultation and deliberation, we have come up with a solution that will allow us to proceed with continuing on our path to restoring the community. However in doing so, we will have to sacrifice the heroes and villains of old in order to make sure we are intangible for the future. I understand this has taken a bit of time to deliberate, but we are finally able to press onward with full spatial awareness of the situation at hand. Thank you for your patience, now let's keep trudging forward."
A lot of people are saying they're in talks with NCSoft and that scrubbing all player data is the sticking point to letting the server run. Speculative rumor at best, but it would be awesome and would buy NCS a lot of good will.
A lot of people are saying they're in talks with NCSoft and that scrubbing all player data is the sticking point to letting the server run. Speculative rumor at best, but it would be awesome and would buy NCS a lot of good will.
A lot of people are saying they're in talks with NCSoft and that scrubbing all player data is the sticking point to letting the server run. Speculative rumor at best, but it would be awesome and would buy NCS a lot of good will.
That would be incredibly cool, but I'll believe it when I see it. If they refused to sell the IP I see little reason why they would just give it away.
For the time being, I'm chalking it up to wishful thinking.
In addition to my lengthy last post, I'd like to make a more human one rather than going on about or mentioning laws and this and that with links.
When it comes down to it, I'm human and I support what make someone
happy so long as it doesn't hurt others. The notion that someone who
says that you aren't allowed to enjoy something that you enjoy anymore
actually being the good guy because they say so signifies a few red flags for
me. If they don't care anymore -- about their product, about their
fans, and so on...
Then I'm at a loss as to what is good and bad in the
world.
But I suppose that's a "this world isn't perfect" type of thing.
Pretty much all boils down to, if i want to i can, for people like you i guess.
Never mind to the fact that the people/company that actually owns the code/product/property has the sole right to say when and if ANYONE can take, and or use, their property, intellectual or otherwise.
All the boohoo, poor am i, crap is just people trying to justify stealing/taking/using stuff that does not, and never did, belong to them.
At least be honest with yourselves if no one else....would have more respect for people that were...
You seem fairly confident about the "sole right" of NCSoft here to say who can or can't use stuff that they may or may not legitimately "own."
Of course, as they say, "possession is nine tenths of the law" and such. No doubt they (NCSoft) might claim they have the authority to determine who can and can't use what other people legally own. But it remains to be seen how much they actually own in all this.
Given the history and provenance of CoH, it is not outside the realm of possibility that the only party that may have any legitimate grounds for legal action would be Cryptic, not NCSoft, because it was Cryptic's code that NCSoft, as Cryptic's publisher at the time, failed to adequately protect.
It would be as if J.K Rowling gave a working copy of Harry Potter and the Temple of Trumpish Transphobia to Bloomsbury, but Bloomsbury leaked it to some journalist who put it up on GoogleDocs. It isn't Bloomsbury who would be injured as much as Rowling. Because buying the rights to something need not imply buying the proprietary processes and mechanisms involved it its manifestation.
Then, of course, there are the folks who can document their purchase of software, granting them rights of use that exist independently of the publisher's dominion over the IP. Marvel comics's rights over their IP doesn't give them the authority to march in and take your books away because they don't want to support the IP anymore. Those books are yours; their ownership of the IP does not give them rights to prohibit the enjoyment of the published material they sold, or the power to enforce conditions on consumers post sale, so long as consumers don't duplicate and resell the published material for commercial gain.
You have to wonder why, for example, neither Disney nor Sony went after the SWGEMU, which has been running unopposed now for several years. I think a lot it has to do with the fact that participation in the SWGEMU is contingent on ownership of the original software purchased. Claiming that these purchasers are not entitled to enjoy their purchases seems to be a hill too steep for even multi-billion dollar entertainment conglomerates like Disney and Sony to climb, which has allowed the EMU to proceed unopposed.
The truth is, there are a whole lot of rights here that are at play. Rights of intellectual property legitimized by copywright. Rights of proprietary technology legitimized by agreement or patent. Rights of use and enjoyment legitimized by consumer law. To say that one right, from one party, must be protected at the expense of everybody else's rights is more of an assertion than a fact.
__________________________ "Its sad when people use religion to feel superior, its even worse to see people using a video game to do it." --Arcken
"...when it comes to pimping EVE I have little restraints." --Hellmar, CEO of CCP.
"It's like they took a gun, put it to their nugget sack and pulled the trigger over and over again, each time telling us how great it was that they were shooting themselves in the balls." --Exar_Kun on SWG's NGE
A lot of people are saying they're in talks with NCSoft and that scrubbing all player data is the sticking point to letting the server run. Speculative rumor at best, but it would be awesome and would buy NCS a lot of good will.
That would be incredibly cool, but I'll believe it when I see it. If they refused to sell the IP I see little reason why they would just give it away.
I think that they chose not to sell the IP because of a tax write off. They were probably able to overvalue the IP (basing its value on when the game was at its peak) and then write that value off over time. In the US, a tax write off is spread over 14 years, but if South Korea uses 7 years, then the write off was completed April 15th of this year.
If they have no plans to use the IP, they are now at a place where they can be very generous at lettings others use the IP. The write off was likely based on around (this is just a guess based on how CoH compared to other games in the late 2000's) $50,000,000 USD, and over 7 years that is about 7 million a year in tax write offs. I find it very hard to believe that back in 2012-2013 anyone made an offer that would have been THAT beneficial to NCsoft.
The world is going to the dogs, which is just how I planned it!
In addition to my lengthy last post, I'd like to make a more human one rather than going on about or mentioning laws and this and that with links.
When it comes down to it, I'm human and I support what make someone
happy so long as it doesn't hurt others. The notion that someone who
says that you aren't allowed to enjoy something that you enjoy anymore
actually being the good guy because they say so signifies a few red flags for
me. If they don't care anymore -- about their product, about their
fans, and so on...
Then I'm at a loss as to what is good and bad in the
world.
But I suppose that's a "this world isn't perfect" type of thing.
Pretty much all boils down to, if i want to i can, for people like you i guess.
Never mind to the fact that the people/company that actually owns the code/product/property has the sole right to say when and if ANYONE can take, and or use, their property, intellectual or otherwise.
All the boohoo, poor am i, crap is just people trying to justify stealing/taking/using stuff that does not, and never did, belong to them.
At least be honest with yourselves if no one else....would have more respect for people that were...
You seem fairly confident about the "sole right" of NCSoft here to say who can or can't use stuff that they may or may not legitimately "own."
Of course, as they say, "possession is nine tenths of the law" and such. No doubt they (NCSoft) might claim they have the authority to determine who can and can't use what other people legally own. But it remains to be seen how much they actually own in all this.
Given the history and provenance of CoH, it is not outside the realm of possibility that the only party that may have any legitimate grounds for legal action would be Cryptic, not NCSoft, because it was Cryptic's code that NCSoft, as Cryptic's publisher at the time, failed to adequately protect.
It would be as if J.K Rowling gave a working copy of Harry Potter and the Temple of Trumpish Transphobia to Bloomsbury, but Bloomsbury leaked it to some journalist who put it up on GoogleDocs. It isn't Bloomsbury who would be injured as much as Rowling. Because buying the rights to something need not imply buying the proprietary processes and mechanisms involved it its manifestation.
Then, of course, there are the folks who can document their purchase of software, granting them rights of use that exist independently of the publisher's dominion over the IP. Marvel comics's rights over their IP doesn't give them the authority to march in and take your books away because they don't want to support the IP anymore. Those books are yours; their ownership of the IP does not give them rights to prohibit the enjoyment of the published material they sold, or the power to enforce conditions on consumers post sale, so long as consumers don't duplicate and resell the published material for commercial gain.
You have to wonder why, for example, neither Disney nor Sony went after the SWGEMU, which has been running unopposed now for several years. I think a lot it has to do with the fact that participation in the SWGEMU is contingent on ownership of the original software purchased. Claiming that these purchasers are not entitled to enjoy their purchases seems to be a hill too steep for even multi-billion dollar entertainment conglomerates like Disney and Sony to climb, which has allowed the EMU to proceed unopposed.
The truth is, there are a whole lot of rights here that are at play. Rights of intellectual property legitimized by copywright. Rights of proprietary technology legitimized by agreement or patent. Rights of use and enjoyment legitimized by consumer law. To say that one right, from one party, must be protected at the expense of everybody else's rights is more of an assertion than a fact.
If this was an EMU then maybe it could be claimed that you had some rights to the client as that is what you purchased long ago. But its not an EMU, it is stolen code and NCSoft can make things get very ugly if that want to as they have the legal right. If they don't go after the guy that stole the code, then whats to stop someone from stealing the server code to WoW or BDO or whatever.
To the commenter that said "taxes are theft". Try getting some one in government service to work for nothing or suppliers to give supplies for free. Where the hell do you think the government gets the money to pay for things? Damn libertarian.
Comments
/Cheers,
Lahnmir
Kyleran on yours sincerely
'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'
Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...
'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless.
It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.
It is just huge resource waste....'
Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer
First we had a thread here about a super secret CoH server being outed, and because it was outed, that server is no more.
The people who set that server up, then released all the code, enabling other's to set up servers.
Now we have this thread, about a not so secret CoH server, and people are treating it like the best thing since sliced bread, or the second coming of Christ, or something.
What is so different about this server? the super secret server did not last long once it was outed, what makes anyone think this very public, out in the open server will be any different?
We had Empires run by Emperors, we had Kingdoms run by Kings, now we have Countries...
NCSoft has done nothing, probably won't bother doing anything, and if they do, the hosting has taken place strategically to where probably nothing will come of it.
Do you really think nobody has contacted NCSoft about the private server that's been run for over 6 years? The players who got banned for going against the NDA never were spiteful & contacted NCSoft? Sure it was confirmed publicly only recently, but there's been rumors of it for a long, long time now, and nothing has been done about it.
If something happens, and the server gets shut down, oh well. So we play on the next server. It's not like if they shut down 1 server it's gone for good again, the code is out, everybody who wants it can get it/already have it.
I don't see a reason to argue about when, if, how or why NCSoft could maybe eventually care enough to shut down a private server. Nobody knows what they are going to do.
The only thing that's irrefutable about the situation is there will be plenty more servers where that came from, if they ever did decide to try something.
Moreover, at this point, there could be 10 more private servers nobody knows about, the game is leaked at this point, how are they going to shut those down? Hire people to try and get invited into private servers?
What NCsoft has done is exactly that by closing customers favorite games will be pissing them off i mean its common sense unhappy customers leads to lost money people won't spend there money if they are mad at the company for any reason think about it.
All they had to do was put it in maintenance mode at least leave the game open or sit and think what they could do to keep people happy and still make money making some money is better then nothing at all what are they getting now NOTHING. They all think with there wallets/ignorance that's the real issue.
Honestly though, the more we're finding out about the end of CoX, the more it's becoming that the only reason the game was shutdown was internal office politics in NCSoft (if I've got that wrong from stuff I've read, please correct me). The game was clearly turning a profit for NCSoft and it just at cusp of the MCU explosion.
There are a lot of people, myself included, who would of gladly paid $5 or so a month for CoX to be put into permanent maintenance mode at i23 (no new content, just a bug patch every few months as needed) and they'd easily have made a profit on the server costs -- just look at what is going on now and the leaked powerpoint for CoH2 that is also floating around.
I've played on the SCORE server and I tell you that the community is still there, still strong, and we're all hoping that we can continue to play a game that for a lot of us felt was MORE than just a game to us.
For years, I've read on countless posts how the game (and the lack of it) moved people. I personally know of a few marriages that were only possible because of CoX (and yes, a couple of divorces too). As for myself, I know that CoX and the community helped me through one of the darkest periods of my life, and for that I will be forever grateful - good chance that without CoX and the community, I may not even be here today.
when I logged into to the SCORE server I recreated my main and went to the same spot in game where I last logged out seven years ago........and I cried.
For some, this is much more than just a game or an IP.
As for the legality, I can't speak on that. There are far too many twists and turns and laws that are vague in some aspects. But I do know that there are thousands of people today who are just a little happier...have a little extra pep in their step...just because of the events in the past few days. In all honesty, with all the troubles and turmoil in the world today, maybe we should all just step back and look at the graphic in the signature in the post I quoted........
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
Twitter - @theNILV
Twitch - @theNILV
https://www.reddit.com/r/Cityofheroes/comments/bfj0gy/gdpr_and_the_character_database_a_transparency/
"After coming to consultation and deliberation, we have come up with a solution that will allow us to proceed with continuing on our path to restoring the community. However in doing so, we will have to sacrifice the heroes and villains of old in order to make sure we are intangible for the future. I understand this has taken a bit of time to deliberate, but we are finally able to press onward with full spatial awareness of the situation at hand. Thank you for your patience, now let's keep trudging forward."
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Of course, as they say, "possession is nine tenths of the law" and such. No doubt they (NCSoft) might claim they have the authority to determine who can and can't use what other people legally own. But it remains to be seen how much they actually own in all this.
Given the history and provenance of CoH, it is not outside the realm of possibility that the only party that may have any legitimate grounds for legal action would be Cryptic, not NCSoft, because it was Cryptic's code that NCSoft, as Cryptic's publisher at the time, failed to adequately protect.
It would be as if J.K Rowling gave a working copy of Harry Potter and the Temple of Trumpish Transphobia to Bloomsbury, but Bloomsbury leaked it to some journalist who put it up on GoogleDocs. It isn't Bloomsbury who would be injured as much as Rowling. Because buying the rights to something need not imply buying the proprietary processes and mechanisms involved it its manifestation.
Then, of course, there are the folks who can document their purchase of software, granting them rights of use that exist independently of the publisher's dominion over the IP. Marvel comics's rights over their IP doesn't give them the authority to march in and take your books away because they don't want to support the IP anymore. Those books are yours; their ownership of the IP does not give them rights to prohibit the enjoyment of the published material they sold, or the power to enforce conditions on consumers post sale, so long as consumers don't duplicate and resell the published material for commercial gain.
You have to wonder why, for example, neither Disney nor Sony went after the SWGEMU, which has been running unopposed now for several years. I think a lot it has to do with the fact that participation in the SWGEMU is contingent on ownership of the original software purchased. Claiming that these purchasers are not entitled to enjoy their purchases seems to be a hill too steep for even multi-billion dollar entertainment conglomerates like Disney and Sony to climb, which has allowed the EMU to proceed unopposed.
The truth is, there are a whole lot of rights here that are at play. Rights of intellectual property legitimized by copywright. Rights of proprietary technology legitimized by agreement or patent. Rights of use and enjoyment legitimized by consumer law. To say that one right, from one party, must be protected at the expense of everybody else's rights is more of an assertion than a fact.
__________________________
"Its sad when people use religion to feel superior, its even worse to see people using a video game to do it."
--Arcken
"...when it comes to pimping EVE I have little restraints."
--Hellmar, CEO of CCP.
"It's like they took a gun, put it to their nugget sack and pulled the trigger over and over again, each time telling us how great it was that they were shooting themselves in the balls."
--Exar_Kun on SWG's NGE
Go go Cryomatrix . . . some dude using cold stuff and yeah, I play a hero in real life, time to play a villain in a video game.
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
If they have no plans to use the IP, they are now at a place where they can be very generous at lettings others use the IP. The write off was likely based on around (this is just a guess based on how CoH compared to other games in the late 2000's) $50,000,000 USD, and over 7 years that is about 7 million a year in tax write offs. I find it very hard to believe that back in 2012-2013 anyone made an offer that would have been THAT beneficial to NCsoft.
The world is going to the dogs, which is just how I planned it!
Super news I'd say