New law could ruin competitive community

[forefront]

Found this on the SRK forums. This law could affect MLG livestreams and any tournament that makes a significant retail profit from streaming.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/new-bill-upgrades-unauthorized-internet-streaming-to-a-felony.ars

[Justin21]

That is so fucked up, I should only be illegal if you are profiting off selling illegal movies or games, not streaming.

[Gravity]

So to be sure I am reading this correctly...for example, MLG can't stream Halo: Reach, because that would be profiting from a game that is not their own?
EDIT: as suspected, i did read it wrong X)

[dexninja]

This is mostly for people on JTV streaming movies and tv shows profiting off the ads. This is just like the music piracy bull shit producers getting mad they're not making as much money as they could. Just wait til 2050 when wiping our asses is illegal...

[ReFlex]

This is mostly for people on JTV streaming movies and tv shows profiting off the ads. This is just like the music piracy bull shit producers getting mad they're not making as much money as they could. Just wait til 2050 when wiping our asses is illegal...

dex is probably right don't worry about this too much guys

[Hylian]

Key word: Unauthorized.
MLG does not stream unless they are authorized and that is the reason why Brawl never had a live stream.
I am not sure about TLN, but I hope they have taken the necessary precautions.

[D Moralize]

Gaming in general benefits from streaming in he way that new people will see the stream and buy the game to be able to play it first hand, and movies hurt from it because they are able to get the full experience for free and eliminate many peoples need to rent or buy the movie. So it would be bad for game companies to stop us from streaming completely, BUT I would not put it past microsoft and other greedy companies to require the streamer to split the profits with them, basically making you pay them to advertise their games. I'm really hoping this law dosen't pass because the amount of quality unauthorized streams far exceeds the 5 authorized ones a year.

[Araneatrox]

Way to get around it... Stream from a Canadian/European website. Bypass US laws

Problem?

Trollface.jpg

[forefront]

JTV would go out of business if this law were to pass. They make a large amount of their profit from SC2 and fighting game tournament streams. These streams would become illegal, and would most likely become pay to view streams on some other website due to the fact that any tournament that wanted to stream would have to purchase licensing rights.

[MichaelMongrel]

What about Ninja?!?!

[HavkinKnight]

yeah EVO would become a pay to steam event MLG would be the only really Free one out there so then we are stuck here not being able to watch fighting game matches. also that makes youtube get a MAJOR hit cuz people uploading clips and flims and matches.

[D Moralize]

JTV would go out of business if this law were to pass. They make a large amount of their profit from SC2 and fighting game tournament streams. These streams would become illegal, and would most likely become pay to view streams on some other website due to the fact that any tournament that wanted to stream would have to purchase licensing rights.

I doubt it, first off the company that makes the game has to press charges, and theres not really any reason to do that when they are getting free advertisement, this will hurt people who stream movies and tv way more because these people will press charges. I would imagine JTV itself can just aquire the licensing rights from companies and it will apply for everyone streaming, or like aran said JTV can just "move" to europe or canada

[forefront]

I doubt it, first off the company that makes the game has to press charges, and theres not really any reason to do that when they are getting free advertisement, this will hurt people who stream movies and tv way more because these people will press charges. I would imagine JTV itself can just aquire the licensing rights from companies and it will apply for everyone streaming, or like aran said JTV can just "move" to europe or canada

You most likely didn't actually look the law up. It also calls for wiretaps and IP monitoring that is already in effect to include monitoring for streaming licensed content. No charges need to be pressed, because you can be prosecuted by the state for any crime. No one ever actually needs to press charges. Pressing charges only really matters when it's a misdemeanor or the like. This law will make streaming licensed content a felony and large companies WILL be prosecuted. Also, it's not about the individual JTV streamers. Prosecution will be brought to JTV as a corporation, not to the individuals. JTV will be required by law not to stream licensed content.

[Brwn]

That's bullcrap, if anything it's giving what's being streamed free publicity.

[D Moralize]

You most likely didn't actually look the law up. It also calls for wiretaps and IP monitoring that is already in effect to include monitoring for streaming licensed content. No charges need to be pressed, because you can be prosecuted by the state for any crime. No one ever actually needs to press charges. Pressing charges only really matters when it's a misdemeanor or the like. This law will make streaming licensed content a felony and large companies WILL be prosecuted. Also, it's not about the individual JTV streamers. Prosecution will be brought to JTV as a corporation, not to the individuals. JTV will be required by law not to stream licensed content.


Well yeah i know you never HAVE to get anyone to press charges, but at least to my knowledge the state probably wont press charges unless it is either threatening them or they can make money off of it. And JTV itself being responsible and not the individual streamers is better, because if JTV does get licensing (I cant imagine that it wouldnt atleast from some publishers) then everyone should be good to stream it on the site. Also, like it has been stated before change the site to make it canadian then it become like the poker sites, illegal in the us but it dosent really matter to the user that much. I think the bottom line is that for gaming it will end up cutting in to profits if anything, and not viewers

[Danimal04]

This is mostly for people on JTV streaming movies and tv shows profiting off the ads. This is just like the music piracy bull shit producers getting mad they're not making as much money as they could. Just wait til 2050 when wiping our asses is illegal...

I can't wait.

[SmartzOvahShotz]

Wait! What happens when MLG's stream goes straight to crap and the only way i can watch a tourney is on JTV!

...


Actually i could see one day the game publishers charging MLG for the use of thier games in tourneys. MLG makes a ton of money by running tourney's off of these games, the publishers would one day want a cut of that.

Unless i'm dumb and they already get a chunk lol.

[Eclipse]

Every one needs to read this. THIS DOES NOT EFFECT MLG. What they are trying to stop is people streaming movies on sites like JTV. And if anything does try to threaten MLG all they would have to do is get a sponsorship from Microsoft (for the use of Halo), and the other manufactures of Starcraft 2, and BlackOps.

[Inoabrian]

That does not pertain to Game streams, what she is talking about is if you stream movies. Or other things that require a person to buy it to see it. Say you are streaming a dvd you have, you can be charged with that.

[D Moralize]

Technically it does cover games, it says licensed content, the question is whether or not game publishers care, we know movie companies do

[WobblyJackMcFruit]

I haven't RFA but surely this would only be a problem if the rights owner objected in the first instance or agreed to pursue legal action following pre-emptive manouverings by some "ambitious" lawyer? As far as Halo is concerned the rights owner is Bungie (Microsoft?) and I can't see them doing something that would immediately alienate a significant percentage of their customer base. They'd be on VERY shaky ground if they did since Bungie have linked to pro streams on more than one occasion in the past.

Blizzard are chill, if they were going to make trouble they'd have done it by now and they've got no reason to care due to SC2's lack of LAN functionality - they make money either way.

On the other hand there's Sony and I wouldn't put anything past those evil bastards. PS3 MLG-ers watch out.

[LeftyB]

I haven't RFA but surely this would only be a problem if the rights owner objected in the first instance or agreed to pursue legal action following pre-emptive manouverings by some "ambitious" lawyer? As far as Halo is concerned the rights owner is Bungie (Microsoft?) and I can't see them doing something that would immediately alienate a significant percentage of their customer base. They'd be on VERY shaky ground if they did since Bungie have linked to pro streams on more than one occasion in the past.

Blizzard are chill, if they were going to make trouble they'd have done it by now and they've got no reason to care due to SC2's lack of LAN functionality - they make money either way.

On the other hand there's Sony and I wouldn't put anything past those evil bastards. PS3 MLG-ers watch out.
well sony is sponsoring MLG and they dont own Call of Duty. That would be Activision. So yea Black Ops could be in trouble. lol.

[forefront]

I understand the scope and aim of the law. I understand that there may be no adverse effects for us stream viewers. All I'm saying is, it is quite possible that it COULD affect us. You never know what could happen, and I am just sharing the information that I've gained with you. There are plenty of video game tournaments out there that turn a profit large enough to fall under this law. Most of those tournaments are still small time and would not be able to purchase rights from every game company. Also, why should they have to? It's just another step toward making it a felony to take a dump and I'm starting to get fed up with it.

I was a Marine for five years. Now I think I want to move to Canada.

[Niko]

Nothing can ruin a community that loves the thing that they all come together for.

[D Moralize]

I understand the scope and aim of the law. I understand that there may be no adverse effects for us stream viewers. All I'm saying is, it is quite possible that it COULD affect us. You never know what could happen, and I am just sharing the information that I've gained with you. There are plenty of video game tournaments out there that turn a profit large enough to fall under this law. Most of those tournaments are still small time and would not be able to purchase rights from every game company. Also, why should they have to? It's just another step toward making it a felony to take a dump and I'm starting to get fed up with it.

I was a Marine for five years. Now I think I want to move to Canada.

I agree 100%, it's BS if I buy a movie or game I should have every right to do whatever I want with it short of making copies and selling them