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[Gattsu25]

Well 250$ reward for, as they said, such an important thing he bought legally on the internet... lol

They could have at least invited him to the offices for a free tour...

To the people complaining that Blizzard could have done more than just $250...

You better not ever complain about clickbait when it's obvious y'all can't even read a short article.

The quote in the OP even ends with "He figured that was the end of it" and a "More at the link" mention by dmr87.

 

[Jinroh]

It's such a wasted opportunity if he didn't make a backup. This thing was pure gold.

 

[Juxo]

$250 is "rewarded big time" ???

LOL dude had something people would have paid tens of thousands for. He got taken. But I guess nice guys finish last.

Shoot first, ask questions later. I like your style.

 

[horkrux]

'Publicly' available source codes for great games are so rare. They are also offering the game for free already.
He shouldn't have done that :/

Now it also won't matter if he still had a copy or not, since leaking it would probably point Blizzard directly to him.

 

[Shotgun Kiss]

Christ, some people are dumb.

How do people propose he try to get more money for it? Blackmail Blizzard, or sell it off to private buyers? Because you can bet Blizzard would have sued the fuck out of him if he tried either. Putting up a business' insider secrets for sale is a big fucking no-no, regardless of how you come into possession of them.

 

[BumblebeeCody]

All that plus an all-expenses-paid trip to BlizzCon and drinks with the devs? Not a bad trade at all.

Even with all of that, it was worth more. Still though, that's cool.

 

[sixteen-bit]

It's such a wasted opportunity if he didn't make a backup. This thing was pure gold.

for real.

 

[Shotgun Kiss]

Even with all of that, it was worth more. Still though, that's cool.

No it wasn't. A theoretical value is just that; theoretical. It's financially worthless when you have no way of actually selling it. Not without risking being sued into oblivion anyway.

 

[Yarbskoo]

Unless that disc was literally stolen property, I don't think Blizzard can claim it any more than they can claim a disc sold at retail.

Of course, they still own the copyrights of the data itself, so he'd probably get in trouble if he shared it online.

I mean, if I somehow ended up with an original copy of the Star Wars script, there's no reason Disney should be able to take it away just because they own the Star Wars IP.

 

[Shotgun Kiss]

Unless that disc was literally stolen property, I don't think Blizzard can claim it any more than they can claim a disc sold at retail.

Of course, they still own the copyrights of the data itself, so he'd probably get in trouble if he shared it online.

Correct, which is why they couldn't have forced him to return the disc, but had he sold it or leaked it, he would have been absolutely fucked. Keeping the disc would have made no financial sense whatsoever.

 

[spootime]

Christ, some people are dumb.

How do people propose he try to get more money for it? Blackmail Blizzard, or sell it off to private buyers? Because you can bet Blizzard would have sued the fuck out of him if he tried either. He'd probably have been able to get away with keeping it, or maybe even leaking it online. But putting up a business' insider secrets for sale is a big fucking no-no.

They would have sued him and contacted the FBI most likely

 

[Mr. X]

I wonder how the seller had the source code in the first place.

 

[fanboi]

Smarter:

1. Back up the disc
2. Get VPN
3. Create reddit throwaway to tell people about the disc. If it gets attention, that helps step 4.
4. Sell just the disc on ebay. Sell for way more than blizzard would have payed out, to some collector, who cares what he does with it, because...
5. Weeks or months later, if buyer hasn't done this already, upload torrent. For modders, for justice, for future generations.

I wouldn't let my actual name or IP address get within 100 feet of any account in any way connected to that disc, because any major games publisher should always be expected to be aggressively litigious at all times.

Getting money for selling the disc on ebay is just a bonus. If you get lucky, you get a lot, otherwise whatever. Blizzard might as well have given him nothing as far as I'm concerned. You couldn't pay me to go to blizzcon, and $250 in their stores is so close to pointless I don't see how anyone in this thread considers it a nice reward for anything. If you care about blizzard games you already own them.

The most important thing that should be ensured above all else for anyone who comes across something like this is that the data gets out there, so people can do cool things with it. It just so happens that you can potentially collect a bunch of money while still doing that, so how does any living soul look at this and think the guy has done anything other than made a horrible mistake? Blizzard is not UNICEF.

I am baffled by people reasoning like this... 'Justice'? Da fuck.

 

[Yarbskoo]

Correct, which is why they couldn't have forced him to return the disc, but had he sold it or leaked it, he'd be absolutely fucked. Keeping the disc would have made no financial sense whatsoever.

He could absolutely sell it though, just like Gamestop can sell used games they didn't develop.

 

[NeOak]

hmm

i woulda posted that shit online personally

And you would have gone to jail for it.

 

[Gattsu25]

You're not thinking about a smart way to handle the situation.

Smarter:

1. Back up the disc
2. Get VPN
3. Create reddit throwaway to tell people about the disc. If it gets attention, that helps step 4.
4. Sell just the disc on ebay. Sell for way more than blizzard would have payed out, to some collector, who cares what he does with it, because...
5. Weeks or months later, if buyer hasn't done this already, upload torrent. For modders, for justice, for future generations.

Smarter:

• Hand the disc back to Blizzard
• Get swag, a trip to blizzcon, and grab a beer with the dev team

 

[Skux]

$250 in credit lol... that's like half of the next three Hearthstone expansions.

 

[Erasus]

Do people not remember what happend to the dude who uploaded the Half-Life 2 source?
A bit different here as its an old game but source code is source code.

 

[TheMan]

There's no way he didn't make a copy of that disk.

 

[Shotgun Kiss]

He could absolutely sell it though, just like Gamestop can sell used games they didn't develop.

You honestly don't see the difference between a used game that a developer/publisher has wilfully released to the public, and insider business secrets that never should have left the company?

 

[NeOak]

$250 in credit lol... that's like half of the next three Hearthstone expansions.

Clicking a link is hard

 

[Marvel]

People in that reddit thread are salty as fuck.

Delicious.

 

[Slayven]

Why would you potientally fuck over your life for some E-cred?

 

[Yarbskoo]

You honestly don't see the difference between a used game that a developer/publisher has wilfully released to the public, and insider business secrets that never should have left the company?

If the disc itself was stolen, they are still the legal owners and can take it back.

If it was given to a former employee or something, then they no longer own it.

If the employee sold it on ebay, they might be able to get him for misappropriating trade secrets, though they'd still have to prove that they at least tried to keep that disc safe.

I don't think they could do anything to the guy who bought it though. I'm no lawyer, but I don't think buying a “box of Blizzard stuff” on ebay could really be considered industrial espionage.

 

[Gattsu25]

$250 in credit lol... that's like half of the next three Hearthstone expansions.

Reread post #1: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=235667803&postcount=1

 

[Spehornoob]

I admit, I do have to wonder what modders could have one if that had been released.

But ultimately I think the guy did the smart and probably right thing. He certainly doesn't deserve to get attacked over it.

 

[King Gilga]

And he's rewarded big time.

250 in lolstore credit, and a trip to blizzcon and some tacky ass swag is rewarded big time?

For what he had that's not even remotely comparable.

 

[Synless]

This is why you never tell the internet about the things you find. That is a piece of history you don't just give up.

 

[Ran rp]

this thread is incredible

 

[Gattsu25]

250 in lolstore credit, and a trip to blizzcon and some tacky ass swag is rewarded big time?

For what he had that's not even remotely comparable.

Yes, being reviled be his fav developers and a guaranteed lifetime of poverty after getting the life sued out of him would have been a much better prize

Instead he'll have to reconcile with only being able to grab a beer with some of his favorite developers, getting an all expense paid trip to an event he's been dreaming of, some free games, free gear for his PC, and free spacebucks to toss around for Overwatch loot crates.

Shame that he chose the option that enriches his life and accomplishes many of the life goals that the very people that are criticizing him share

 

[SocksAndShoes]

this thread is incredible

I didn't know that I could have any less faith in humanity than I do now, but Neogaf proves me wrong every time. Incredible.

 

[JMY86]

Cool story. Blizzard is such a great company.

 

[coughlanio]

Yea I dunno, I'd have negotiated a real money deal with them. Personally wouldn't be content with PC accessories, Diablo 3, stuffed animals and a trip to Blizzcon (or any con)

Cool story but I just don't like seeing people get hustled by billion dollar companies.



That line is actually past the first few sentences.

You know they would take you to court and just take it from you?

 

[LiK]

What a good guy. No issues with his decision.

 

[coughlanio]

If the disc itself was stolen, they are still the legal owners and can take it back.

If it was given to a former employee or something, then they no longer own it.

If the employee sold it on ebay, they might be able to get him for misappropriating trade secrets, though they'd still have to prove that they at least tried to keep that disc safe.

I don't think they could do anything to the guy who bought it though. I'm no lawyer, but I don't think buying a “box of Blizzard stuff” on ebay could really be considered industrial espionage.

A company would never let an employee take source code on leaving a company.

 

[MayMay]

The amount of people that just doesn't read shit.. man, after this thread I'm hardly surprised anymore that so many fall for fake news.

 

[bad guy]

So he didn't get an empty CD-R in return? That's just poor.

 

[Zakalwe]

Christ, some people are dumb.

How do people propose he try to get more money for it? Blackmail Blizzard, or sell it off to private buyers? Because you can bet Blizzard would have sued the fuck out of him if he tried either. Putting up a business' insider secrets for sale is a big fucking no-no, regardless of how you come into possession of them.

There is a possibility he could have been more shrewd to begin with and tried to find possible collectors. Someone in the world would pay decent money for this. And not everyone would have nefarious intent.

Saying that, you'd need to find them first, which would take a lot of work especially while trying to stay anonymous throughout.

And the IP is still active, which makes the moral angle tighter.

Personally, I would have handed it back and made a copy. Not to do anything with necessarily, but I'm not sure I could just say good bye to the wealth of information.

The guy did the right thing in terms of morals, imo. The active IP part seals it. If this were an historic game that wasn't still being developed then I'd disagree.

Besides, he'd already announced himself. At that point people were asking him to potentially sacrifice his future for software preservation, calling him selfish for that is pretty ironic.

I'm just hoping he doesn't become a target for maliciousness like doxing etc... now people are angry with him. Some of the responses on reddit are pretty sickening even if the preservation angle has merit.

Guy should sit back, enjoy the swag, and be excited for Blizcon. They're probably going to load him up with swag when he leaves there, too, plus he could make some invaluable connections that serve him for the rest of his life/career.

Guy did the right thing, all things considered.

 

[Yarbskoo]

A company would never let an employee take source code on leaving a company.

We don't really know how this disc ended up for sale in a public auction, and there's a good chance neither does Blizzard, which might cause problems for them if it went to court.

For all we know the employee may have passed away. 1998 was a long time ago.

 

[The Broken Ska Record]

An all expenses paid trip to Blizzcon is amazing.

 

[Lightning_Roller]

1. Some of y'all don't read everything. Talk about jumping to conclusions.

2. Some of y'all have some messed up priorities. Would uploading source of a very popular game be worth the karma and fifteen minutes of fame from the internet when in the long run, you'll be expecting massive amounts of legal fees that would most certainly screw you over for life? Would it?

 

[friskykillface]

I would have just kept it tbh
But obviously not say anything for a longgggggggg time.

 

[Vexed]

If their legal team authorized them to initiate contact with an offer like that, he almost certainly had the leverage to get a shit ton more out of them.

 

[Waluigilicious]

I'm probably going to ask a very stupid question but.. Can't hackers access the source code through the game itself? What's the difference with what hackers can access?

 

[Masterspeed]

Wow, some of you people are greedy as hell. I would of been freaking if Blizzard have me that much money in credit and all that swag. I'd be the happiest guy for years.

 

[ChoppedandScrewed]

These are the same giant companies that treat people like walking ATM machines. I'm not saying there's anything he could have done differently, but damn. Screw the trip, give the man some real cash.

 

[fanboi]

I'm probably going to ask a very stupid question but.. Can't hackers access the source code through the game itself? What's the difference with what hackers can access?

No you compile the source code to runnable application.

 

[MikeyB]

If their legal team authorized them to initiate contact with an offer like that, he almost certainly had the leverage to get a shit ton more out of them.

Based on working with corporate legal and communications, the offer they made was most likely motivated by PR. Legal advice qould probably focus on their right to that disc and minimizing the risk of associating the return of their property with any sort of compensation. As this thread demonstrates, it has created an expectation that people ought to be rewarded for returning what doesn't belong to them.

 

[Vital Tundra]

So basically "fuck this guy he should have risked his financial stability for our ability to mod Starcraft."

Come ON people.

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

I had assumed that they made the source code for Starcraft publicly available a long time ago like ID did with Doom. It's obviously their right but what does Blizz gain from holding on to the code of a 20 year old game?