We're on Wikipedia!
- Thread starter Kirito
- Start date
Wikipedia's articles on retro game emulators usually allude to ROMs, which are illegal in most cases. This isn't why it's not Wikipedia material.
It's totally illegal. I don't expect to see it become legal, because copyright lasts that long in the US.
There are fair use arguments that could work (it could be passed off as archival), but given the game's execution, these are stretchy. I do agree that Disney is unlikely to pursue any kind of legal action, because the game does very minimal damage to Disney. Taking MyVMK down would do far, far more harm.
It's totally illegal. I don't expect to see it become legal, because copyright lasts that long in the US.
There are fair use arguments that could work (it could be passed off as archival), but given the game's execution, these are stretchy. I do agree that Disney is unlikely to pursue any kind of legal action, because the game does very minimal damage to Disney. Taking MyVMK down would do far, far more harm.
I've thought about this, and I feel like Disney would've intervened by now if they felt it was an issue. It's not like it's happening in secret, or just started; I'm sure someone knows, since it's been up for months. I just don't see why it's important enough for them to care. It would take someone being cruel for the sake of being cruel to shut it down.
While I question the idea that a WDI employee would be too in-the-know about Disney Interactive's legal goings-on, I imagine that this is the sentiment in the company.
My guess:
They're not happy about it precisely because they're between a rock and a hard place. Five and a half years after the game shut down, a fan community ran the game that Disney would no longer keep open. That shows that this is a dedicated fanbase, and that Disney didn't recognize what they had; Disney looks bad, and as MyVMK grows, more people will think that Disney made a mistake.
Should Disney prevent the game from growing, they hit an even bigger problem: a potentially huge PR nightmare. Shut down MyVMK, and people will hit the press. They tell the story I just told: these fans are more willing to run this game than Disney is, and Disney took the game away from them again. If that hits enough news outlets, Disney looks like a bully.
I'm sure that Disney has considered all this. This company is very particular about its IP, and they are legally in the right. By all means, they could have had this game closed months ago, but they didn't do it. They have little to gain by closing this game, and so much more to lose if they take it down. Disney hasn't moved, and I don't believe they have intentions to do so.
Some harm can be done. Moderation has been pretty decent in my experience, but if something really bad goes down, things can go sour quick. While this community is small and largely aware that this game is fan-made, this fact is merely a footnote on the main site. Some people might be under the impression that this is a Disney-licensed game, and this handful of people might develop a negative impression of Disney through MyVMK if something gets messed up.
The good news for Disney is that game is still tiny. If there's a mishap on MyVMK's part, few will know. Honestly, I think Disney is out of options on this front. They're cornered as far as shutting the game down goes. I'm not entirely sure that they could coerce Amy to place a giant disclaimer on the site's homepage saying that this is a fan-made game made without Disney's approval. The problem that Disney has if they do that is that they essentially recognize the game's existence, and practically endorse the game. It's giving someone else major leverage on their IP, and that's not a good thing. The third option is for Disney to open its own competition, which could get costly very quickly.
My guess:
They're not happy about it precisely because they're between a rock and a hard place. Five and a half years after the game shut down, a fan community ran the game that Disney would no longer keep open. That shows that this is a dedicated fanbase, and that Disney didn't recognize what they had; Disney looks bad, and as MyVMK grows, more people will think that Disney made a mistake.
Should Disney prevent the game from growing, they hit an even bigger problem: a potentially huge PR nightmare. Shut down MyVMK, and people will hit the press. They tell the story I just told: these fans are more willing to run this game than Disney is, and Disney took the game away from them again. If that hits enough news outlets, Disney looks like a bully.
I'm sure that Disney has considered all this. This company is very particular about its IP, and they are legally in the right. By all means, they could have had this game closed months ago, but they didn't do it. They have little to gain by closing this game, and so much more to lose if they take it down. Disney hasn't moved, and I don't believe they have intentions to do so.
Some harm can be done. Moderation has been pretty decent in my experience, but if something really bad goes down, things can go sour quick. While this community is small and largely aware that this game is fan-made, this fact is merely a footnote on the main site. Some people might be under the impression that this is a Disney-licensed game, and this handful of people might develop a negative impression of Disney through MyVMK if something gets messed up.
The good news for Disney is that game is still tiny. If there's a mishap on MyVMK's part, few will know. Honestly, I think Disney is out of options on this front. They're cornered as far as shutting the game down goes. I'm not entirely sure that they could coerce Amy to place a giant disclaimer on the site's homepage saying that this is a fan-made game made without Disney's approval. The problem that Disney has if they do that is that they essentially recognize the game's existence, and practically endorse the game. It's giving someone else major leverage on their IP, and that's not a good thing. The third option is for Disney to open its own competition, which could get costly very quickly.
