Unofficial Skyrim App Gets Legal Warning from Bethseda

[Devoteicon]

There was no cease and deceit order because Bethesda knows the app is not breaking any copyright. They're just "testing the waters" with the guy to see how ignorant he is on the matter and maybe he'll settle out of court.

 

[fuzznarf]

[citation][nom]Jarmo[/nom]So it's not a game. It's a Skyrim helper app named "Dragon Shout for Skyrim".Contains a drawn map of the game area and helpful info.Guess Beth wouldn't mind if it was free, just like there's no cease and desists flying towards walkthrough- and fan sites. But since money is involved they want a cut, because greed is good.[/citation]

ummm.. it is free. try again..

 

[zaznet]

Why doesn't this article explain what the app in question does? It is a pay-for wiki of sorts. A partial copy-paste from the app store description would have been enough.

This article doesn't even include the entire application name.

I'm no copyright expert but it seems he is trying to directly profit from the use of "Skyrim" in his application name and description.

 

[fuzznarf]

The app itself is free, and is free to use to build your own information/helper application. To register an account is free. To search and list is free... and it all took a few seconds to verify this myself. If the guy is making money off of this app what is the big deal? Its no different than Wowhead, thottbot, wowwiki, etc... they all make their $$ through advertising by providing a forum and information.
They should be happy that people are creating apps that keep interested parties involved in their game.

 

[zaznet]

[citation][nom]fuzznarf[/nom]The app itself is free *snip*[/citation]

I went to the App Store link. There is a mention in the side-bar for $0.99 but I guess that is for something unrelated and that I can't click on so not sure why a price shows up there. I don't see "free" there or in the article above so was operating on the limited information I had available at the time.

If it is free then it should be no different than any other Wiki-like app out there. This one just has a cool name. Free fan-created content like this should be desired by the developers as it continues to draw interest in their game without taking money away from them.

 

[marraco]

Bethseda needs a legal kick in the back for abusing the law

 

[fb39ca4]

What about all the other, most likely unlicensed Skyrim Guide apps coming from China?

 

[demonhorde665]

Tsk tsk , not sure what bethesda is doing these days , they seem divided , one minute they seem extremely 3rd party freindly (look how easy it is to mod for skyrim) and then the next minute they seem more concerned about money ..... honestly i think bethesda is just fishing for attention.


oh and keep in it could be Zenimas puling teh legal stuff not necessarily bethesda

bassiclaly this is how those companies are aranged

Zenimax , owns bethesda softworks (publisher of skyrim) , Zenimax owns Bethesda game studios (the developer of skyrim) and just recently they strted Zenimax online entertainment who is the developer for the Elderscrolls MMO. in short i am pretty sure that the legal stuff is all delt through Zenimax and the guys at bethesda softworks and tha guys at bethesda game studios , actually never even sit through one court date. not that that matters because in the end it's all owned by Zenimax any way. Just wanted top clear the air with this info because every one keeps calling it bethesda and there are two bethesda "companies" really.