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Guy Finds StarCraft Source Code and Returns It to Blizzard

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Re: Guy Finds StarCraft Source Code and Returns It to Blizzard

#181

Post by jbmorgado »

I think we are mixing two terms here: Intelectual Property and Trade Secrets.

The code doesn't seem protected by intellectual property but it's a trade secret. Just like Mona Lisa was intellectual property of Leonardo, but the way he created the different paint colours was his trade secret.

A trade secret don't necessarily have to be protected by law, the moment it gets out, then people are free to use it as they see fit. That's what I think about this source code: it got out somehow (even if the way it got out was illegal or not), but the moment it comes to public it becomes general knowledge.

Re: Guy Finds StarCraft Source Code and Returns It to Blizzard

#182

Post by ue_ »

jakebasile wrote: post #105
Dylan16807 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go ahead and disagree with that train of thought, but I don't see how it's 'twisted' to call him selfish. You can call the venom in those posts twisted, but that is a very different thing from saying the actual reasoning behind the posts is twisted.

Selfish for following the law and respecting the wishes of the authors of a work? Jesus, people are really performing some mental gymnastics to justify the hypothetical theft of property in this case in order to arrive at the conclusion that the finder is somehow being selfish.

>respecting the wishes of the authors of a work?

How do you know it is the wishes of the authors? Blizzard didn't write the software, individual programmers (labourers) did, working as a team. Though I'd be interested to know if there's any statement from the developers of Starcraft if they did or didn't want the code shared.

Re: Guy Finds StarCraft Source Code and Returns It to Blizzard

#183

Post by sneak »

gottam wrote: post #61
jakebasile wrote: post #44

It looks like someone found a copy of Blizzard's copyrighted source code, returned it to Blizzard, and got a reward. Why are people upset about this? It seems like the right thing to do to my mind. If someone found a copy of my own source laying in the street I'd be very happy if they returned it instead of releasing it on the net.

We could of had enthusiastic fans see the inner workings of such a beloved game and tons of articles around the technical details, but instead we protected the intellectual property rights of a billion dollar corporation. Strictly by law, it was "the right thing to do", but it was a real missed historic opportunity.

Yeah. Even Apple recognized the historic significance of MacPaint and QuickDraw and released those sources.

http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/macpaint-and-quickdraw-...

Carmack released the Quake1 and QuakeWorld sources, and I think also q2 and q3 eventually too.

StarCraft is ancient and the source is of no commercial value to them any longer. They don't benefit from its secrecy, but we do benefit from its release.

Then again, this is the company that sued open source developers who re-implemented a server (bnetd) for one of their proprietary protocols. It was that day I resolved to never give them money again.

Re: Guy Finds StarCraft Source Code and Returns It to Blizzard

#184

Post by sneak »

gottam wrote: post #72
spike021 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's still their property. IMO non-Blizzard individuals have no right to post it.

Like I said, from a black and white legal standpoint it was the right move. But so much was lost from not simply uploading it somewhere from an internet cafe. It enters the same ethical flexibility as things like wikileaks in my opinion

there is no ethical issue with keeping the secrets of others you have no obligation or commitment to keep.

Re: Guy Finds StarCraft Source Code and Returns It to Blizzard

#185

Post by sneak »

jakebasile wrote: post #52
jpgvm wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not normal source code. It's not like you found the source to the latest Halo game or something. This is like finding the source to the original Halo game, of little to no commercial value but of immense cultural value. Where possible these artefacts are archived so they will be around long after the companies have folded. Unfortunately it's just not possible most of the time as companies end up taking their sof…

But in this case, that's Blizzard's right. They own it whether you like it or not. Just because something is important doesn't mean they should lose property rights to it. Abandonware is a thing and I remember there being some legal headway made recently in that respect, but Starcraft isn't abandoned. They just released a compatibility patch and made it free to download.

Intellectual Property isn't property, and publishing things does not deprive anyone of their property rights. It's a kludgy hack set up by Congress to prop up industry.

Re: Guy Finds StarCraft Source Code and Returns It to Blizzard

#186

Post by sneak »

Scea91 wrote: post #173
jpgvm wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. It's not. Chiefly because Starcraft is not a normal game. This is a game that defined a cultural generation in South Korea, established e-sports singlehandedly and in many ways made the RTS genre what it is today. It should be archived. Even if it can never be released due to copyright or other legal nonsense it shouldn't be left to a commercial entity to ensure it survives.

So, if I were an influential person, should my private diaries also be made public, even though I have no wish to share them?

After one's death, it's no longer their business what happens to their secrets. One has no dog in the race any longer.

Re: Guy Finds StarCraft Source Code and Returns It to Blizzard

#187

Post by sneak »

jakebasile wrote: post #56
scrollaway wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you? :) Starcraft influenced the culture and politics of an entire nation and became a national sport. It pioneered "e-sports". It's a piece of history, and this disc is standalone a piece of history as well. I think I know right from wrong, but I would still have absolutely no idea what to do if that disc landed on my doorstep. Edit: I cannot believe this is such a controversial thing to say. Shame on the people…

But it's still owned by Blizzard. It doesn't matter how important it was, they still own it. I am 100% sure the guy did the right thing in returning it, not only legally but morally as well. If Blizzard were to MIT license it that'd be amazing but they're the only ones with the power to do so, no matter who finds a copy in a box.

Easy solution. Torrent the iso, return the lost property (the disc) to its owner.

No moral or ethical issue whatsoever. Nobody's rights violated. Everybody wins.

Re: Guy Finds StarCraft Source Code and Returns It to Blizzard

#188

Post by kahrkunne »

ilugaslifg wrote: post #112
gottam wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like I said, from a black and white legal standpoint it was the right move. But so much was lost from not simply uploading it somewhere from an internet cafe. It enters the same ethical flexibility as things like wikileaks in my opinion

Liberating proprietary software is a moral good. Full stop. The number of hopeless herbs on here who have so thoroughly internalized "legal == moral" is depressing.

Theft is wrong. Full stop.

What an age to live in when people are considering theft a good thing.

Re: Guy Finds StarCraft Source Code and Returns It to Blizzard

#189

Post by Dylan16807 »

IsmaOlvey wrote: post #172
Dylan16807 wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The source is Blizzard's intellectual property The tomb and its contents are the property of the Pharaoh in it.

Except the Pharaoh would still be alive(!?) in this case.

The source code will be Blizzard IP for a long time after the coders are dead.

Re: Guy Finds StarCraft Source Code and Returns It to Blizzard

#190

Post by Dylan16807 »

braveo wrote: post #163
Dylan16807 wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That degrades property rights, so it's bad for the many. Unless you systematically take most of the money away from billionaires, which could be totally justified if society wanted to enact such a tax. In the case of 20 year old source code, there's not really an important norm to uphold.

Wait, so let me get this straight. Your reasoning for that is "it degrades property rights", but you're for publicly releasing Blizzards property for "the good of the many"? You want the source to be available and you're trying to back into it with some sort of moralistic argument instead of just admitting that you want the work to be available but have no real basis for it outside of personal preference. Because tha…

If you look at the other posts I made, it should be more clear.

There are different kinds of property rights.

The property rights for the money you have in your bank account are important. (But if we wanted to add a rule-based tax across everyone that would be okay.)

The intellectual property rights for recently-made things are important.

The intellectual property rights for 20 year old code are not at all important. It's okay if we file off that specific corner of the law.

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