I haven't forgotten this:

beekergunship · 2011-07-10, 12:25 AM

EDIT: In light off the following conversation, I stand corrected. The owner of planetside2.com was indeed not doing anything but re-directing traffic and could not hold a fair use defense. I still hold to the belief that businesses would do better to not assume their customers are criminals. Thank you for the enlightening conversation.

http://bbod.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=671

Just a friendly reminder that SOE's lawyers still ruin their customers' experience.

Every time I visit planetside2.com, I'll be reminded of their dick move.

Goku · 2011-07-10, 12:29 AM

I wouldn't say thats ruining a customers' experience. Seems like a normal corporate letter to me anyway, showing they mean business. Though they could of asked more nicely. Stupid of them to of not registered it from the get go anyway.

CutterJohn · 2011-07-10, 12:30 AM

Their dick move of countering someone elses dick move?

PsychoXR-20 · 2011-07-10, 12:33 AM

I don't see anything dickish about that letter. I'm no lawyer but it seems like lawyer speak to me, not being a dick, just being extremely clear, with no possibility of misinterpretation or reading between the lines/loopholes. The guy who received the letter claims that he would have just "handed it over" if SoE asked, so I gotta ask, why register it in the first place and pay money to keep the site running all for nothing?

Bags · 2011-07-10, 12:34 AM

Lawyers gonna law.

morf · 2011-07-10, 12:35 AM

Originally Posted by beekergunship

http://bbod.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=671

Just a friendly reminder that SOE's lawyers still ruin their customers' experience.

Every time I visit planetside2.com, I'll be reminded of their dick move.

This happens 5000 times a day on the internet. You don't even need a lawyer to file a udrp complaint and it doesn't have to go to court. its something you agree to when you register the domain name, so the guy should have known the risks.

If he was using the domain for a purpose covered under fair use or if he had a legitimate claim to the name (like the software company that happens to be named planetside) they couldn't take it. But brand piggybacking for traffic with a similar or confusing domain name is cybersquatting. I've been on both ends of these disputes (personally and for a company I was representing) and have been lucky enough to win all 3 udrp cases I was involved in. Its nice that its an icann rule so it stretches even across international borders, so some toolbag in a third world country can't just register facenook.com and steal all your infoz.

krnasaur · 2011-07-10, 12:41 AM

I wont remember is at corporate assholery, i will remember it as SOE taking a squat on a cybersquatter.

beekergunship · 2011-07-10, 12:50 AM

Legal stuff aside, it is a case of shooting first and asking questions later. If this were handled differently I wouldn't be bringing it up two years later. I don't know what his purpose was. Don't know this Jekz guys. I suspect he was holding on to it so that he may be asked to relinquish it someday and in the meantime using it for people other than PSU lurkers to speculate any movement on that IP. Sometimes it isn't a money grubbing squatter--it might be a fan that doesn't mind spending the money to keep up the site. Then people like me are sympathetic.

They could have written a better letter that hinted further action, but acknowledged being a loyal fan to the franchise. Because then, he would have posted something different and everyone's response would have been positive.

I'll still play PS2, but I'll always wish some other company owned it instead.

morf · 2011-07-10, 12:56 AM

Originally Posted by beekergunship

Legal stuff aside, it is a case of shooting first and asking questions later. If this were handled differently I wouldn't be bringing it up two years later. I don't know what his purpose was. Don't know this Jekz guys. I suspect he was holding on to it so that he may be asked to relinquish it someday and in the meantime using it for people other than PSU lurkers to speculate any movement on that IP. Sometimes it isn't a money grubbing squatter--it might be a fan that doesn't mind spending the money to keep up the site. Then people like me are sympathetic.

They could have written a better letter that hinted further action, but acknowledged being a loyal fan to the franchise. Because then, he would have posted something different and everyone's response would have been positive.

I'll still play PS2, but I'll always wish some other company owned it instead.

I feel you to a certain extent but you don't hire lawyers to play softball and make concessions. The purpose of the letter is to exert your legal rights. Having some pr guy come off half cocked writing a "more friendly" version of that letter is a really good way to get introuble.

Bags · 2011-07-10, 12:57 AM

Originally Posted by beekergunship

Legal stuff aside, it is a case of shooting first and asking questions later. If this were handled differently I wouldn't be bringing it up two years later. I don't know what his purpose was. Don't know this Jekz guys. I suspect he was holding on to it so that he may be asked to relinquish it someday and in the meantime using it for people other than PSU lurkers to speculate any movement on that IP. Sometimes it isn't a money grubbing squatter--it might be a fan that doesn't mind spending the money to keep up the site. Then people like me are sympathetic.

They could have written a better letter that hinted further action, but acknowledged being a loyal fan to the franchise. Because then, he would have posted something different and everyone's response would have been positive.

I'll still play PS2, but I'll always wish some other company owned it instead.

So because their legal department did what it's supposed to do you're mad at SOE?

jesus. people look for any reason to hate the man.

Squatters gonna get squatted. Why buy the domain if you plan to hand it over? hmm?

beekergunship · 2011-07-10, 01:04 AM

I feel you to a certain extent but you don't hire lawyers to play softball and make concessions. The purpose of the letter is to exert your legal rights. Having some pr guy come off half cocked writing a "more friendly" version of that letter is a really good way to get introuble.

No, I disagree. This is what PR guys are for. Before it goes to the mail room it gets a once over by legal.

Before I defend this stranger anymore, does anyone remember what was on that site? I used the wayback machine, and I do see a redirect from 2005. If that was the case, I'll reconsider my position.

LordReaver · 2011-07-10, 02:41 AM

I think Jekz is female.

Brigand · 2011-07-10, 03:15 AM

I'm not really seeing the problem here. Thats all lawyer stuff. They went for being clear and concise over being nice, so there's no confusion and no issues down the line. They're laying out exactly what they're doing and why. It's not dickishness, it's legality.

Raymac · 2011-07-10, 03:39 AM

This is just a basic cease and desist letter. Nothing special. Welcome to the real world.

Firefly · 2011-07-10, 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by beekergunship

No, I disagree. This is what PR guys are for. Before it goes to the mail room it gets a once over by legal.

A corporate legal department exists for three things: 1) protecting employees, 2) advising the company on how to proceed in legal, trade, copyright isssues, and 3) telling IP-thieves to knock it the fuck off. You don't send your hate-mail to PR. What the fuck? Are you Canadian or a tree-hugging liberal? Seriously - have you NEVER seen a fucking cease & desist letter? They're LAWYERS. They don't HAVE to be nice. The law is on their side and cocksucking blue falcons that don't understand that don't need kumbaya singing hand-holding, they need a sternly-written warning.

"Dear Osama: please, sir, don't be mad at us. We want you to be happy and feel good. But we want to feel happy and good. I believe that we can be friends and that we can coexist in peace, love and harmony. Please, sir, don't send bombs over here, it kills not just us but it also kills the person sending it. And we love everyone. Including you, sir. Jesus loves you. Allah loves you. Mohammed loves you. Beekergunship loves you. He even went outside and picked some Canadian flowers from his Peace & Liberal Garden. Why don't you meet us in a safe, well-lit neutral spot and we can have a nice cup of warm milk? We can sing songs, hold hands, share good vibes, and admire the sunshine and the pointy-eared elves frolicking in the meadow."