This precedent is a bad one. If this goes unaddressed, we’ll be paying for each tier of DBM and BigWigs pretty soon. Each report style for details, and every weak aura.
If it’s going to be allowed, let us know so we can prepare for when addons are all paywalled, because if this technicality is allowed, every single addon can be restructured to work the same way.
This needs to be immediately and emphatically addressed now.
Wait, what, what’s going on? paying for addons?
I thought you couldn’t charge for addon’s because they’re like a form of fanart, technically illegal but allowed.
We need a blue!
You’re blue. Just look at you. Now address the controversy.
Yeah, the “addon” is free, but you have to pay for the essential data that makes it work. A technical side step for the TOS.
If this is allowed, every addon will be restructured the same way. Gonna need to shell out 50-60 bucks every raid tier for DBM/BW, 10 for details, probably 20-30 for every class weakaura. It’s gonna be a white hot nightmare scape of whales gatekeeping all the content.
It has been addressed. In the 10 other topics on the exact same matter.
No, it hasn’t. Until someone with some authority wades in, it’s all just speculation.
They’re selling external data that the addon reads.
Like giving you a music player but selling you the tracks.
Or giving you an addon that emplements a framework to display questing locations and leveling routes, but selling the data.
Or giving you TSM, but selling pre-formated groups/operations.
Or giving you WeakAuras, but selling the Auras.
Or giving you the DBM framework to display timers and warnings, but selling you the dungeon or boss data that plugs into it.
I’m aware of how it works, but if this is allows, expect to see it in every single addon.
Is this a pay to win addon?
No one with authority is going to step in. It’s the same scenario as zygor. The functionality they are selling isn’t a part of blizzards api. I don’t agree with what they are doing either but as far a blizzard is concerned it’s legal.
The minute addons aren’t free, I stop using addons. It isn’t rocket science.
Wow the sky really is falling. How about you stop getting addons if you don’t think price of them justifies their use? Problem solved.
MDT is a planning tool. But DBM? Arena addons? Weak Auras? It will be pay to win pretty damn quick.
If it’s Blizzard’s data that they’re selling back to people they’re gonna get slapped with a DMCA real fast.
I’m going to need you to switch to decaf… as a matter of fact avoid Starbucks completely and drink only water.
It’s not. It’s usually user made rows of tables and keywords.
The addon interacts with the game’s API, but the data it reads is 100% user generated. It just happens to describe game objects or events.
Current raids are designed around addons. Tracking phases and abilities and timers for one-shot position checks or upcoming burn phases are a requirement, not a luxury.
Addons are required for raiding, and this could jeopardize that. Either raids will be dumbed back down to be managed without them, or only whales will be able to raid. I’m not sure which scenario is worse.
i’m not sure what you expect a blue to contribute: they don’t run MDT or any other addon: they merely allow them on their service
if the creators of the addon are going to charge for their addons that’s on them and you should contact them or stop using the addon
in and of itself the MDT addon itself is free: it’s just an empty shell of an addon until you pay to add data to it which is entirely on the folk(s) who make MDT
i don’t think you’re going to get the response you want is what i’m trying to say
As someone who has navigated the fanart / fanfiction world around litigation-happy properties, I have to say, if it even mentions a copyrighted name it is within grounds for the original company, nevermind plugging into the product itself.
Trust me, Blizzard made a huge statement a while back about how they “own” all the addons for wow and people made a huge stink about how greedy they are.
This person is about to get DMCA’d into the ground.
(unless Blizzard deems them to be too small-potatoes to deal with, but companies really don’t like it when people make money off of their properties more than just Comic-Con levels of fanart income.)
So maybe Blizzard decides that not enough people use this addon to make it worth pulling out the lawyers, but if DBM went pay to use that would be a lot of money and blizzard would step in because they want a piece of that pie.
Gotta love capitalism amirite bois