Giving Away an Account... (Questions about it)

[SCMalone1770]

I was given an account by my friend who doesn't play anymore and i want to start dual boxing. all my toons are on my main account and i want to transfer some over to the account he gave me but i need to be the owner? i currently pay for the account but how if i can, can i make it my account from blizzards stand point?

any help would be greatly appreciated.
btw i'm doing a melee group and some of the threads i have read from you guys have been most helpful :)

[Sajuuk]

You need to buy another copy of the game and make a new account in your name. You cannot use your friends account.

[turbonapkin]

Blizzard offers no official way of transferring account ownership and stipluates that sharing accounts in any way is a break of the EULA, resulting in a ban if you get caught multiboxing with accounts that do not have matching names.

There was a terrible story here of a five boxer who lost all their accounts for this very reason. It's not worth the gamble so I would advise you to create new accounts to give yourself peace of mind.

[Basilikos]

Read through the terms of service on the WoW website. Last time I checked, they still allow you to go through a tedious process to transfer the account, but it has very specific rules that most people can't meet for various reasons. You might give the official channels a try before creating another account. The only thing I caution you about is that if the transfer (of the account, not the characters) cannot take place, don't try to skirt the rules.

[Basilikos]

Blizzard offers no official way of transferring account ownership ...Well, that's debatable. See my previous post. There is a VERY strict way to transfer account agreements between individuals, but I suggest everyone research the exact requirements from the ToS for themselves to see if they qualify.

[Prepared]

My first suggestion is to read the Terms of Service which is in your World of Warcraft folder or only at the World of Warcraft website where you sign up.

My second suggestion is not use the 2nd account if you want to transfer a character and the name on the 2nd account doesn't have the same last name as on your first account. If the reason you want to use a 2nd account is to transfer characters between them, purchase another copy of the game from a store and create the 2nd account with the same name as on the 1st account.

As for sharing accounts, yes this is against the rules and if caught, the account being shared will be banned. Sharing of accounts doesn't have anything whatsoever to do with names on the accounts. They are completely different subjects. If your friend is not going to play any more at all, you're not sharing it right?

[SCMalone1770]

i'm just going to make a new account for the extra $40, it's not worth getting my main account banned. Plus the name will be MUCH easier to remember.
but, can i get partial or full refund of the subscription i put into it? or have the remaining time transferred to the new account. Anyone tried?

and thanks for the help :)

[Ualaa]

Well, if they allow you to transfer the box, dvd/cd, manuals but not the account, there is no point.
Unless they let you use the cd-key, to make a brand new account or let you use the existing account.

From their point of view, I believe the intention is - you can transfer the physical stuff that comes with the game, but not the account once it is created.

Which is basically saying, as a retailer you can sell the unused game.
But once it (the cd-key) is used, none of it can be sold.
At least that's how they should have worded it.

[Basilikos]

Read through the terms of service on the WoW website. Last time I checked, they still allow you to go through a tedious process to transfer the account, but it has very specific rules that most people can't meet for various reasons. You might give the official channels a try before creating another account. The only thing I caution you about is that if the transfer (of the account, not the characters) cannot take place, don't try to skirt the rules.

If I recall correctly, this isn't exatly true.

They allow you to transfer (sell) the BOX, CDs / DVDs, manuals, and other crap. The actual account (virtual goods) cannot be transferred (sold).

I read somewhere long ago that if you delete all the characters on the account, then you can transfer it. (this is totally unconfirmed). Of course, this makes transferring an account basically pointless. And you still have to put up with all the bullshit games blizzard will make you play to change the name on the account.That's an interesting take. I'm going to have to pour over the wording some time when I get a chance to really work through it, but I seem to remember the rights and obligations of the agreement being transferable. The major condition (i.e. aside from the original discs, packaging, etc.) seems to be properly notifying Blizzard of the change.

Whether or not the nonsense Blizzard has in place to deal with that is worth it to anyone is strictly up to them.

[Basilikos]

Alright - this is it: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/legal/eula.html

Section 4B says that rights and responsibilities can be transferred to another party given certain conditions. Also, you're going to need to contact Blizzard to get contact information changed as per 4B. This, as Fursphere said, could be an absurd hassle.

So whatever you feel like doing, I guess.

[Gadzooks]

Alright - this is it: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/legal/eula.html

Section 4B says that rights and responsibilities can be transferred to another party given certain conditions. Also, you're going to need to contact Blizzard to get contact information changed as per 4B. This, as Fursphere said, could be an absurd hassle.

So whatever you feel like doing, I guess.I believe the only known circumstances where an account transfer is allowed is from a parent to a child, when they reach 18, where the child was playing as a minor, on an account their legal guardian started and paid for. The only other scenario I heard of was a wife playing on an account her husband started and paid for, and he died - and she had to jump through a lot of hoops to get the account, like faxing a death certificate and such. (Note: faking a death certificate can get you in *serious* trouble.)

This is the #1 area where account thieves want change, and I hope to god they never get it - the second a scumbag account thief can take ownership of an account they steal, is the last second I play this game.

To the OP: you wasted your money, bud. Sorry about that, but you will never own the account you bought, and using it puts all of your accounts at risk.

[Basilikos]

I believe the only known circumstances where an account transfer is allowed is from a parent to a child, when they reach 18, where the child was playing as a minor, on an account their legal guardian started and paid for.

...

To the OP: you wasted your money, bud. Sorry about that, but you will never own the account you bought, and using it puts all of your accounts at risk.Again, that's not what the EULA section 4B says (the specifics are such that you must transfer all of the physical material, uninstall everything, get the other person to agree, etc.) I don't know how Blizzard will handle it as I've only ever played accounts I own and don't advocate people work around the ToS/EULA.

However, the OP may not want to bother at all.

[Halo]

Look at it this way: the account you want to take over is 15 bucks a month.

The battle chest is 40 (sometimes LESS!) and comes with a free month PLUS if you use RAF for the new account it will give you a free month on your current account. So, that's 2 free months = 30 bucks. After 2 months, your net cost for the new account is only 10 bucks! Why screw around?

You can only transfer characters between accounts that have exactly the same name (not address, not CC#, same NAME). So for every new account you create, make sure you have exactly the same name.

[Gadzooks]

I believe the only known circumstances where an account transfer is allowed is from a parent to a child, when they reach 18, where the child was playing as a minor, on an account their legal guardian started and paid for.

...

To the OP: you wasted your money, bud. Sorry about that, but you will never own the account you bought, and using it puts all of your accounts at risk.Again, that's not what the EULA section 4B says (the specifics are such that you must transfer all of the physical material, uninstall everything, get the other person to agree, etc.) I don't know how Blizzard will handle it as I've only ever played accounts I own and don't advocate people work around the ToS/EULA.

However, the OP may not want to bother at all.Basilikos, This very issue, and the section you refer to, was discussed in depth many time in the Customer Service Forum. The GMs stated that the number of circumstances where an account could be transferred was *very* small, and it's on purpose. Many other people have posted the same section you are on the CSF forums, and been told that it does not mean what they think (or hope) it does.

The only reason I'm posting about this is I don't want to give the OP false hope. There is 0% chance, in my mind, that he will get ownership of the account, and using it is a risk to his other accounts, and goes against the spirit of this community, which is to follow the rules as closely as possible.

"However, the OP may not want to bother at all." is the best advice you've given. Arguing about the EULA is not going to accomplish anything, and even though it's pointless, I suggest you go over to the CSF forum and ask the GMs there if what you think that section means, is true. I think that will end the argument right there - and they'll even be nice about it.

(I can't guarantee about the people who post there, I don't post there anymore, as it's become full of people who are there to be mean and insulting, and not helpful, why the GMs allow it is beyond me, it used to be such a positive place...now it's one person asking a question, and 20 posts insulting them and accusing the OP of something. It's sad. I gave up posting there during the Zombie Invasion, now I just poke in once and a while to read up on current scams and issues. Back in the Belfaire days, and before, it was a fun forum to read, now, it's /General with GMs instead of CMs)

[Basilikos]

The GMs stated that the number of circumstances where an account could be transferred was *very* small, and it's on purpose. Many other people have posted the same section you are on the CSF forums, and been told that it does not mean what they think (or hope) it does.
Wait, wait, wait...

I haven't seen those discussions myself, but that would explain a lot. Odd then, that they didn't stipulate more conditions in the EULA than they did.

[Wilbur]

No.

[Vyndree]

Again, that's not what the EULA section 4B says (the specifics are such that you must transfer all of the physical material, uninstall everything, get the other person to agree, etc.) I don't know how Blizzard will handle it as I've only ever played accounts I own and don't advocate people work around the ToS/EULA.

Good advice.



For clarification on the informational part of this thread, and the fact that people who are trying to justify RMT (such as account sale websites and/or goldselling sites frequently like to quote a certain section of the EULA about transferring physical media)...

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=6911811596&postId=69109223942&sid=1#73

This has already been stated repeatedly in this thread, so I'll give a brief synopsis.

Transfer of an account, in any form, is completely unacceptable, and is a violation of our Policies and the Terms of Use.

You may transfer the ownership of game media under specific circumstances, but this does not include the account. The confusion here is the 'rights' associated with the media. Those rights include only the installation of the game, which does not include the account. The account, and rules regulating an account are governed by the Terms of Use.

EULA = Software.

ToU = Account and In-Game rules of conduct.

These are different things utterly, and in answer to the OP: We do care, please refrain from accepting this 'gift'. More often than not such things just result in frustration and headaches and heartache.
and
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=12197384435&postId=124532850383&sid=1#93

The EULA governs the software installed on your computer, discs, manual and box. You can indeed transfer these.

The ToU governs the account, the service, and all in-game assets. You may not transfer this. From the Terms of Use:

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/legal/termsofuse.html

Section 2:

Ownership.
All rights and title in and to the Program and the Service (including without limitation any user accounts, titles, computer code, themes, objects, characters, character names, stories, dialogue, catch phrases, locations, concepts, artwork, animations, sounds, musical compositions, audio-visual effects, methods of operation, moral rights, any related documentation, "applets" incorporated into the Program, transcripts of the chat rooms, character profile information, recordings of games played on the Program, and the Program client and server software) are owned by Blizzard or its licensors. The Program and the Service are protected by United States and international laws. The Program and the Service may contain certain licensed materials, and Blizzard's licensors may enforce their rights in the event of any violation of this Agreement.

Section 8:

Ownership/Selling of the Account or Virtual Items.
Blizzard does not recognize the transfer of Accounts. You may not purchase, sell, gift or trade any Account, or offer to purchase, sell, gift or trade any Account, and any such attempt shall be null and void. Blizzard owns, has licensed, or otherwise has rights to all of the content that appears in the Program. You agree that you have no right or title in or to any such content, including the virtual goods or currency appearing or originating in the Game, or any other attributes associated with the Account or stored on the Service. Blizzard does not recognize any virtual property transfers executed outside of the Game or the purported sale, gift or trade in the "real world" of anything related to the Game. Accordingly, you may not sell items for "real" money or otherwise exchange items for value outside of the Game.
(emphasis mine)


As always, account ownership is not exactly a multiboxing-specific topic. Personally, I wouldn't feel very comfortable asking an honest account-related question to a bunch of strangers un-associated with Blizzard Entertainment. If at any time you have an account-related question, your best bet is to visit blizzard support, ticket a GM, or ask on the Customer Service forums.

Asking a non-official avenue about the official-ness of your account ownership is like going to a sports car dealership and asking them to give you a driver's test so you can get your license. If you want to get a driver's license -- go to the DMV. If you want to learn how to get the most out of your sports car, ask sports car enthusiasts.