[Column] Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: The 'Let's Play' FFXIV Impasse

SBFord

To today's Devil's Advocate, we take a look at this summer's most anticipated MMO, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and a topic that many players may not be aware of as they log into the game. Find out what you might be missing and then head to the comments to leave us your thoughts.

Some of you may have noticed that The Devil’s Advocate was kind of missing last week. I developed an upper respiratory infection and needed to spend a few days to recover, but I’m mostly on the mend now, and just in time too. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (FFXIV: ARR) is available for play!

While I haven’t been able to get too into it, I was able to do some light reading during my downtime, which led to my finding out about Square Enix’s Materials Usage License (M.U.L.) for FFXIV: ARR. The license I mentioned above is basically a discussion of what people can and cannot do with the assets from the game , including video, audio, and other copyrighted and trademarked materials. 

Read more of Victor Barreiro Jr.'s The Devil's Advocate: The 'Let's Play' FFXIV Impasse.

Samhael

Thanks, Victor. Good article and I hope you're feeling better!

As far as the "Let's Play" thing, I really couldn't care less about them. I generally steer away from that stuff anyway. On the positive side of things, I guess I will be able to view raid strategy videos that won't have random music I don't like in them now. Silver lining, I guess.

Derros

I believe they just changed it to allow people to monitize through sites like youtube and twitch.

Originally posted by raas1337

 

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You may not use the Materials for any sales or commercial use, meaning you cannot receive license fees or advertising revenue, except as part of the partner programs operated by YouTube.com, Twitch.tv, Ustream.tv, or similar programs. If the operator of a partner program seeks to confirm our policy, please point them to this page as we do not have the resources to respond to all requests.

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Source:

http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comments/1le43i/materials_usage_license_update_you_can_now/

http://support.na.square-enix.com/rule.php?id=5382&la=1&tag=authc

 

Fast and good move. Posting just to let more ppl know.

 

 

adam_nox

Squeenix is on very shakey legal ground by trying to control post-release video of the game.  I'm really not too many courts would uphold that.

obsolete5

they recently reversed the police, but they would have been fine without the videos, youtube monetization is a joke, and more material owners should actively prevent and take down people using their material - songs, clips from movies, and clips from games.

 

 

Raxeon

they lessened the restrictions on it

victorbjr

Originally posted by Samhael

Thanks, Victor. Good article and I hope you're feeling better!

As far as the "Let's Play" thing, I really couldn't care less about them. I generally steer away from that stuff anyway. On the positive side of things, I guess I will be able to view raid strategy videos that won't have random music I don't like in them now. Silver lining, I guess.

Thanks Samhael. 

 

Still get into coughing fits, but it's more manageable than the shivering mess I was last week..

 

Normally, I like let's plays for unreleased games (like ArcheAge, but with FFXIV, I imagine I'd enjoy style decoration videos for housing later on. 

dekkion1

are the severs down again

mysticaluna

Why should people prevent use of their songs and property? Life should be fun, not about greedy people wanting more money, we don't all have money to pay for everything... Isn't it a form of free advertisement? Sure, if people are making money off you that is different, but sometimes it can be really entertaining and funny.  Sometimes, it is even better than the original creators who created it!! 

Shocking I know, but take those videos of characters you loved from a game (which, you should have originally most likely paid for to begin with - so they already got their money) and put them into a new youtube video (with music from other people - which, you probably already paid for if you're a fan of their music to begin with), and you can have some very funny entertaining videos that legally weren't going to ever happen between that band and that video game developement studio. 

Greed and legalities seek to drain out all of the fun in life, take away money and greed, and suddenly there's alot more happiness to go around ) . 

mysticaluna

Youtube is the best thing we have going on in life other than wikipedia... 

I'm willing to watch any commercials that it takes to see content that I otherwise couldn't afford to buy on my own! Forget about putting commercials on tv, although I enjoy the few video game commercials that we get, most of tv is constant car advertisements for cars I can't afford... 

Just put commercials on youtube, and even better keep allowing people to use your content and its free advertisement for ips that no one would otherwise know exist! 

Wizardry

Well that was only one way of looking at it but everything in their legal part sounds like nothing more than common sense and i agree with it.

it is a matter of weighing in on two options,one worry about some video instruction versus legal property rights,i think it is a no brainer which side the developer should take and NEEDS to take,it is a business not a charity.

really two simple formula to follow ,you cannot make money from someone else's property unless they give you permission and two,you can't use their property to spread hate speeches,or any other damaging material .To expect a developer to lift those VERY obvious and simple restrictions would be very unfair.

They already have enough trouble trying to bring legal action against RMT that ruin games for the entire player population.The problem is the people in charge of passing laws,really never see gaming as an issue,they only look at the copyrights because they are already law and fairly easy to follow.

I can tell you that Blizzard a number of years ago,threatened to sue a company that was making a platform for Blizzard games and even after not wanting a single penny for their efforts ,Blizzard still said no and continued with a law suit which forced them to shut down.

Personally i don't really blame developers,you cannot trust anyone out there,they will steal and break the law as long as they don't get caught.Need i mention any further than Pirate Bay,even when threatened with law suits and by government and FBI they still scoffed at the law.

sunshadow21

While things like this are unfortunate, it is necessary for folks like Square Enix to protect their own investment in the product. How to do best do this while allowing others to use what is an often an investment to them as well while limiting the abuses that the internet is capable of fostering is a challenge, and one that all gaming companies are going to have to face sooner or later. I wouldn't be surprised if in ten years, most companies have something similar implemented. For all the benefits that a completely free and untamed internet provides, it can't last because too many people will abuse it.