RuneScape developer claims its online games could be 'hugely affected' by the bill
Cambridge-based studio Jagex and UK industry trade body Tiga are the latest companies to hit out against the controversial SOPA currently going through US congress.
Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard claims the Stop Online Piracy Act would be similar to censorship for internet users and could also impact negatively on its own online games.
“Jagex is fervently opposed to the proposed “Stop Online Piracy Act” as it will essentially create a national censorship firewall for American internet users,” said Gerhard.
“Specifically this could crush the community element of online gaming and could result in a huge lack of freedom of speech, creativity and opinion sharing.
“Secondary to providing compelling games, Jagex provides a social platform for our own community which could be hugely affected, negatively impacting on community sharing, forum activity, even in-game chat.”
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CEO of Tiga Richard Wilson added that the bill could expose businesses to damaging legal action, but admitted he understood the need to stop piracy.
"The worry is that this legislation would expose online games businesses to damaging legal action, while inhibiting innovation and leading to over-caution online,” said Wilson.
“Videogame companies could have to spend time and money analysing the behaviour of their users. Tiga understands the need to clamp down on rogue websites - those which blatantly make money from piracy and therefore restrict the profit margins of developers and digital publishers.
“But it believes SOPA would be a sledgehammer cracking a nut."
The bill is currently facing opposition from gaming giants such as Nintendo, Sony and EA, who recently pulled their support for the legislation, whilst the White House has also revealed it is against SOPA.
The piracy act could be close to be scrapped however, after it was claimed by Californian congressman Darrell Issa that House majority leader Eric Cantor had said there would be no vote “unless there is a consensus on the bill”.
This bill is to suppress freedom of expression,civil rights and to stop the real truth
of what the U.S government is doing overseas and to its own people being spoken about through the internet would not like to be an American today!
Thank you for your opinions on this SOPA bill Jagex! Very well formed thoughts and your totally correct!
TYSM JAGEX FOR BEING AGAINST THE SOPA
Jagex know what they're talking about. SOPA definitely do not.
Thanks for the support!
Jagex, I am strongly grateful for you opposing SOPA. I can't thank you enough!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING A STAND ON THIS! American Scapers really appreciate it! :)
To think we voted for obama, who which signed the bill btw. Who agrees he should be kicked from office? this just shows he puts little thought into his decisions
obama is against the bill, dumbass.
Well thanks for all the support guys. SOPA is slowly grinding to a halt I hope.
SOPA doesn't mean a site can be shut down outside of the USA. What it means is that the USA can block it through services that are USA based.
So in fact, Europe and Asia would possibly generate jobs as sites moved to hosting in those locations to avoid being shut down. They would still get blocked for US customers obviously but the site would remain up for the rest of the world.
I am just puzzled by Jagex statement: "Specifically this could crush the community element of online gaming and could result in a huge lack of freedom of speech, creativity and opinion sharing"
Is he saying that jagex online platform is a marketplace for illegal content? I hope not.
Lets be honest here, if you steal a game, book, cd or else from a shop we all know what could happen if you are cought. The law clearly state that you are a thief and you could go to jail. Why digital theft is not seen as illegal? is that becuase everybody does it? I am not say that SOPA is "the solution" but certainly something has to be done to at least educate users about the fact that if you dont pay for it you cant have it. Thats the essence. Perhaps Jagex and TIGA could bring forward some constructive alternative to SOPA and PIPA. I would really like to hear from them on this matter.
I believe Jagex is commenting upon the possible implications of the abuse of the language in SOPA, not the stated purpose of the Act itself. Specifically, this could make many innocent sites targets, and, taken to its logical extremes, have a chilling effect on activity on the Internet.
Not that a chilling effect on some parts of the Internet would be unwelcome...
@NotStrictlyTrue
Why on earth would a company based in america move over to the uk when it's just been sued to hell? Especially when Europe will probably copy these laws after...
thx man, i live in America and am ashamed of my idiotic leaders
I'm glad you guys have decided to stand against this bill to help your costumers overseas, and those who you have not yet raeched. As one of your loyal members I thank you. :)
Thanks Jagex, for standing up against it.
Good to hear that you're on our side.
Mr. Gerhard didn't mention that JAGeX would be breaking the law if SOPA had passed. Runescape is full of what JAGeX call 'homage', which is actually just ripping off other people, without payment. e.g., Jeremy Clerksin, "cart expert", sleeping in a church.
This is nothing to what might have happened if they had got their way, anti-piracy would only have been the start of it, did you know for instance that the US government stole 77 domains last year without any kind of legal channels being followed?
http://www.namepros.com/industry-news/689112-u-s-gov-seizes-77-domains.html
Read post #14 when I weigh in with a comment, and people follow up on my post.
thay say thay like the players there scard of loseing them ya right look at the game there loseing so many players each day thers like 10 bots per 1 player the new beta is makeing ppl quit no one wants it no one cairs about its we pay we say it all i have to say to them
