Blizzard, the makers of World of Warcraft, are locked in a legal battle with a firm that has produced a tool to automate many actions in the virtual world.

Michael Donnelly, the creator of the MMO Glider program, which performs key tasks in the game automatically, such as fighting is the defendant.

It has been reported that both sides submitted legal summaries to a court in Arizona last week.

Blizzard argues that 'Glide' is a software bot which infringes the company's copyright and potentially damages the game.

Its legal submission explained: "Blizzard's designs expectations are frustrated, and resources are allocated unevenly, when bots are introduced into the WoW universe, because bots spend far more time in-game than an ordinary player would and consume resources the entire time."

Blizzard also argued that Michael Donnelly's tool infringes the End User License Agreement that all parties have to adhere to when playing the game.

So far more than 100,000 copies of the tool have been sold, according to the man himself; Mr Donnelly. Its therefore estimated 1% of those who own the game, also own the tool.

Mr Donnelly said the first time had had been aware of potential legal action over his program was when a lawyer from Vivendi games, which publishes Warcraft, and an "unnamed private investigator" appeared at his home.

In his legal submission, he detailed: "When they arrived, they presented Donnelly with a copy of a complaint that they indicated would be filed the next day in the US District Court for the Central District of California if Donnelly did not immediately agree to stop selling Glider and return all profits that he made from Glider sales."

"Blizzard's audacious threats offended Donnelly," according to the legal papers.

Mr Donnelly says his tool does not infringe Blizzard's copyright because no "copy" of the Warcraft game client software is ever made.

Blizzard replied the tool infringes copyright because it copies the game into RAM in order to avoid detection by anti-cheat software.

The two parties are now awaiting a summary judgement in the case.

Whose right in your eyes?

Tags : Blizzard Activision : Blizzard Entertainment : Michael Donnelly : World of Warcraft : WoW

Comments

By: Evren On: 08:43 Mar 27th, 2008 Online	Thats just lazy damnit. And then there's the fact that he's selling it, when it's so easy to make. WoW gamers, stop being lazy, play it yourself and make the effort. He enfringed the rules set down by Blizzard and WoW itself. Therefore. Man fails.

By: boa On: 09:29 Mar 27th, 2008 Offline	I hope Blizzard wins, not because I necessarily think they are right but becasue I believe the game would be better without this program in it.