BleepingComputer.com: Blizzard Legal Department

I was planning on making a StarCraft mod for Half-Life 2, but I don't feel like working on it if in the end I'll just get a Cease and Desist from Blizzard's Legal Department. So I would like to e-mail them and asked them, I asked Blizzard's Support, but the guy I was e-mailing thought it would be ok to make it if its free, but he didn't know for sure. In all I e-mailed Blizzard Support three times to make sure and they all said it was ok, except the last guy. He gave me a address to mail them, but I don't feel like waiting weeks just to get a reply. So does anyone know Blizzard's Legal Department e-mail address?

Actually as long as you do not distribute ( witch is mainly the point of the mod) or sell the mod you create you are well with in your rights for EX.

I buy a tv form Bob's TV store
then I buy paint form Sally's Paint store
If I paint my tv form bob with paint from sally I will not be breaking laws as long as I dont start selling my painted tvs

I'm pretty sure. If you make a fan made game, or whatever. He's allowed to districute the mod but not gain profit in any way from the mod.

I don't think so because The makers of Half-life may not want to have there files messed with. To really find out reasarch and find out if Blizzard has an Open GL if so the nyour ok.

I don't think you guys understand, Blizzard is very protective of their game products. They don't like it when people make mods about their games on different games without permission, the Legal Department gets cranky if you don't and they will send you a Cease and Desist.

So....then I think you no the answer to your own question. And after Resaerch i discoverd the this game unfourtnaly dose not have an open GL so you would be breaking your user agreement

What are you talking about? What game, Half-Life 2 or StarCraft? I don't plan on taking models from any of the games, I plan on making them myself and make a mod (game) based on StarCraft using Half-Life 2 Source.

This post has been edited by Fremder: 25 November 2006 - 10:07 AM

Either way you said that the Blizzard dosn't like games messed with also an onep GL means you allowd to edit without breaking your user agreement

Yeah thats why I want to ask?

NO OPEN GL NO MOD that is as simple as it gets the ywill not change there mind because then themselves would be breaking there user agrement

Do you even know what you are talking about? Do you work for Blizzard? If not, then shut up! Stop waisting my time with your replies.

Let's all just cool down.

Inflammatory comments, and all of this conjecture, is not getting anyone anywhere. I can and will pull this topic if you all don't play nice.

F.Y.I. I couldn't find an e-mail address for Blizzard's legal dept. But have found their physical address.

Technical support cannot provide answers to legal questions. Any
questions should be directed via mail to:

Blizzard Entertainment
Attn: Legal Department
P.O. Box 18979
Irvine, CA 92623

Good luck

I'm sorry for my inconclusive posts here this should clear it up

GL-Is the sorce or code in the game or program
Closed GL-You may not edit or change the code of the game or programwith out breaking the user agrement you (the check box you are prompted at instalation that says I agree...)
Open GL-You may freely edit and change the code without restrictions or breaking the user agreement

HALF-LIFE IS CLOSED GL

If your trying to mke a new game
-This would violate your user agreement

If your making a "mod"
-This would violate your user agreement

I'm not a lawyer, but yea, from my limited experience with mods:

You should be fine making the mod, legally, provided you don't go reverse-compiling the HL engine, or the core parts of the game (there are usually tools out there for most games to allow you to change superficial things such as interfaces, skins, game models, etc. etc. - and most companies don't complain, sierra had a strong heritage of mod making, not 100% sure how it is now though, but don't guess it has changed? - their mod support is seen especially in Counterstrike *originally a mod* - Blizzard has a decent mod community as well, just not as large as Sierra w/ the Halflife mod community).

The biggest concern you'd have is the copyrights of the characters from blizzard, not the fact you're modding in HL. Not knowing the extent to which you will be utilizing the starcraft universe, I can't give you specifics on how much lean Blizzard could legally put on you.

Chances are, unless it's really extreme, you won't have problems. Although yes, contacting the legal departments will be the most 'sure fire' ways of knowing that you can or can't do it, however if you will be editing code greatly - you will want to contact sierra as well (which is what siggyman was getting at), although I doubt you will need to unless you are aiming to develop a whole new game using just the HL engine, rather than building ON the HL game. (If you're going to make a game on the HL Engine where you'll need to essentially code an entirely new game around it, rather than cosmetically over the game, then chances are it would cost money to get the legal right to use the engine - much like the Quake Engine).

Hope my rambling makes sense...it's 2am lol.

Just a small fact for those of you who don't know btw:
Sierra and Blizzard are owned by the SAME COMPANY (Vivendi).

Sorry about the reply before Siggyman, how I saw it, you were replying from the statement I wrote before, that Blizzard is very protective of their games and that was the only thing you had to go on. Your writing afterwards made you sound like to me that you were trying to make me quit before I even started. By the way, Valve does not care about mods made off their engine, I'm only worried about Blizzard. Anyways I don't plan on taking stuff that Valve made and put it in the mod and even if I did, I'm 100% sure Valve will not care, tons of mods are doing it right now.

Thanks Scarlett for looking for Blizzard's Legal Department e-mail address, I looked too and I couldn't find anything either. I guess I have no choice, but to do it the old fashion way, write a letter.

This post has been edited by Fremder: 26 November 2006 - 10:03 PM