South Korea is serious about hackers. A new law criminalizes the development and distribution of hacks for video games. Private servers are also targeted by the new regulation. This topic is currently relevant here, especially regarding WoW and Overwatch.
The US site Kotaku reports on a South Korean law against video game hacks. This was passed in December and comes into effect on June 21, 2017, in less than two weeks.
The law targets “game hacks,” their development and distribution. Additionally, it will also be illegal to create and operate so-called private servers. Currently, it is still unclear whether the law will also target mods.
Anyone found guilty can expect a fine equivalent to about 4500 euros or up to 5 years in prison.
According to Kotaku, it is not yet entirely clear how the law will affect users of hacks and private servers, but it is said that no actions should be taken that disrupt the distribution of the game or its rules.
In Germany and Europe, hacks and private servers are a gray area
Hacks and private servers are certainly not something that only exists in South Korea.
Here in Europe, Blizzard has been litigating against the German bot manufacturer Bossland for years. Their programs are specifically tailored to Blizzard’s games, providing bots or aim assists for World of Warcraft or Overwatch.
The battle between Blizzard and the company has been ongoing for years due to the complex legal situation. The legal dispute goes through many instances and even takes place on multiple continents. Recently, however, Blizzard has achieved a series of successes in court.
The fight is conducted with hard tactics. Bossland believes Blizzard wants to drive them to ruin with high fines and banning waves.
Private servers are primarily associated here with Blizzard and World of Warcraft. Private servers also operate in a kind of gray area. Blizzard had the popular WoW private server Nostalrius shut down through lawyers. Since then, a community has been trying to establish similar alternatives. By outsourcing the servers to specific countries, they hope to escape Blizzard’s influence on private servers.
We have often dealt with the topic of hacks and private servers:
WoW Classic server Elysium: A swamp full of corruption and drama?
