AfterDawn: Tech news

Blizzard blocks WoW virtual currency sellers from using PayPal

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Feb 2011 12:49 User comments (8)

Blizzard blocks WoW virtual currency sellers from using PayPal

World of Warcraft maker Blizzard has taken the next step to blocking virtual currency sellers, filing complaints with PayPal to block all 'gold sellers.'
A number of outfits make a living selling WoW virtual goods for real money, which is not endorsed by Blizzard.

Virtual goods include gold, characters, power-leveling and other rare items.

Most of these sellers accept payment through PayPal, but that will no longer be the case as Blizzard has filed complaints with PayPal claiming "Intellectual Properties violation" for the "sale of World of Warcraft Merchandise."

The large online transaction service has sent notices to all affected sellers and they now have three choices. Either give up selling that merchandise, lose your PayPal account permanently, or fight Blizzard in court.

Reads the notice (via Curse):



You were reported to PayPal as an Intellectual Properties violation by Blizzard Entertainment Inc. for the sale of World of Warcraft Merchandise.

If you feel your sales do not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of the Reporting Party, please complette the attached Objection to Infringement Report by January 21, 2011.

The completed form should be faxed to the attention of the Acceptable Use Policy Department at [number removed] or emailed to [email removed].

Should you choose not to object to the report, you will be required to remove all World of Warcraft Merchandise from the website [url removed] in order to comply with the Acceptable Use Policy.

Previous Next  

8 user comments

11.2.2011 01:15

Quote:
Bawwwww we wanted money from your gold farming, but we couldn't have it so now no money for you either bawwwww.

21.2.2011 01:29

It is just paypal...there are plenty of alternatives.

31.2.2011 08:35

But it could take precedence. If this did go to court and the courts ruled in Blizzards' favor then they could effectively shut down all sales by any medium. It's probably as big a pain in the ass as it is to fight piracy, and I honestly shocked Blizzard should care; I mean why now? As this has been going on for decades, even through MMOs like EverQuest. Dah well.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 01 Feb 2011 @ 8:35

41.2.2011 10:50

I'm guessing that these people will be moving to the kinds of companies that still work with WikiLeaks & the various pirate bay holdings.

51.2.2011 15:57

Honestly, I believe this to be a good thing. Now people can stop buying gold and actually play the game and farm for it like the game was designed. Work for what you want, you will enjoy it more.

63.2.2011 09:59

Whether or not you like gold farming and the like, this move will simply drive the affected customers to another online payment system. There's quite a few that are NOT based in the US, or in any copyright-signatory nation, that'll work ju-u-ust fine. Hell, if they have to, UPS and FedEx will deliver data CDs/DVDs, no problem.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 03 Feb 2011 @ 10:00

73.2.2011 10:04

Ive played WoW for years. People bitch and complain that buying gold hurts the game, when in my opinion it really does not. Once you get level 15, which you can get in a day, you can do dungeons, and get all the items from there that you cant buy with gold and are even better. Gold is pretty useless in warcraft to begin with.

83.2.2011 10:13

True enough, but this lets Blizzard show some kind of action against gold farmers and the like, so the whiners are appeased.

Comments have been disabled for this article.

Latest news

VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads (16 Mar 2024 4:31)
VLC Media Player, the versatile video-software powerhouse, has achieved a remarkable feat: it has been downloaded over 5 billion times.
1 user comment
Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit (19 Dec 2023 11:09)
Google settled its lawsuit in September 2023, and one of the settlement terms was that the way applications are installed on Android from outside the Google Play Store must become simpler. In the future, installing APK files will be easier.
8 user comments
Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets (06 Jun 2023 9:19)
Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.
Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations (02 May 2023 3:38)
Neato Robotics has ceased its operations. American robot vacuum pioneer founded in 2005 has finally called it quits and company will cease its operations and sales. Only a skeleton crew will remain who will keep the servers running until 2028.
5 user comments
How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp (20 Mar 2023 1:25)
The world's most popular messaging platform, Meta-owned WhatsApp has enabled sending messages to yourself. While at first, this might seem like an odd feature, it can be very useful in a lot of situations. ....
18 user comments

News archive