Gamer Group Asks Government for DMCA Exemption on 'Abandoned' MMOs
A group of gamers recently petitioned that some massive multiplayer online titles be made exempt from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
According to TorrentFreak, the move was led by The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment, also known as the MADE, which is a non-profit organization "dedicated to the preservation of video game history."
The same report explained that the U.S. Copyright Office previously issued a DMCA exemption for "abandoned" games, like emulators for classic titles, so preservationists can work on them and make them playable for fans who want to go on a quick drive down memory lane.
However, the revised provision reportedly does not apply to MMOs or online games covered or protected by digital rights management.
This is what the MADE hopes to change in their letter to the U.S. Copyright Office.
One part of the MADE's letter said: "Although the Current Exemption does not cover it, preservation of online video games is now critical."
It added: "Online games have become ubiquitous and are only growing in popularity. For example, an estimated fifty-three percent of gamers play multiplayer games at least once a week, and spend, on average, six hours a week playing with others online."
The government agency had previously argued that online games, though abandoned, could still be accessed by players through local networks. However, the MADE raised a good point in explaining that with the current trend of gaming releases, "local multiplayer options are increasingly rare, and many games no longer support LAN connected multiplayer capability."
The MADE also raised concerns over the fact that more and more titles were becoming dependent on online networks even for single-player campaigns. This means that when the games' servers are later shut down by studios, the title becomes completely obsolete.
Just last month, the popular MMO role-playing game "Marvel Heroes" was suddenly shut down after its developer Gazillion Entertainment and Disney parted ways. The reason behind the closure of the servers was not specified.
The game was supposed to be closed on Dec. 31 but was apparently shut down earlier than planned after Gazillion developers were reportedly laid off a day before Thanksgiving. Players then scrambled to demand refunds for game purchases made within 30 days prior to the announcement.
