"Warp" <war### [at] tagpovrayorg> wrote in message
news:4a5a5919@news.povray.org...

>   A good example of the former is Square Enix: A group of people had spent
> years in a project to create a "sequel" to the game Chrono Trigger by
> modding the original. Technically speaking the group didn't even break any
> copyright: The only thing they shared in their website was the diff data
> necessary to mod the original Chrono Trigger ROM data in order to get the
> modified game. In other words, all the data they offered was their own
> original creation. However, Square Enix issued a cease&desist order when
> the project was something like 98% done. Even though the group knew they
> were not breaking any laws, they were too afraid to not to comply. Square
> Enix doesn't want to listen to the fans crying for a sequel, and they want
> everything the group created removed from the internet.

Yes, some companies make business decisions that are at best dubious. But
the solution is not to legislate "nice behaviour" but for consumers to speak
with their wallets. Throwing out copyright because those companies don't
give the customers the sequels they desire, or cooperate with 3rd parties is
a bad call. After all, nobody is holding a gun to someone's head to use
their software. Just pretend that that company or game never existed in the
first place. Or, if you bought the game, just play the game as is and be
happy - after all, when someone bought the game, all they paid for was the
game, not a promise from the company to add future levels or mods, or make
it available for third parties to do so. So, while Valve can be commended
for providing something of added value, everyone else should not legally be
forced to adopt their model.

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