[Unnamed botting program] PWNT

[Tehtsuo]

Lets say I create a program that interfaces with Microsoft Outlook to help consumers manipulate their email for instance. Let's say it goes into Outlook's memory space to perform its function. Should Microsoft be able to take me to court?

Yes, if they can prove a damage done to their company, especially if that damage resulted in another's profit. Blizzard will win this case because they can almost definitely prove a damage is caused to their product through people botting.

How definitely though? Could you prove that Blizzard experienced damage to their product? I'm talking about conclusive evidence, keep in mind. If not, we're talking about a lawsuit over someone else making a profit - a copyright issue - which is where this lawsuit ended up. Did the defendant copy and distribute Blizzard-owned software? I doubt it, but in this case the Judge did not.

Disclaimer: I'm probably pressing a few people's buttons here, so I apologize in advance. I'm debating for fun, not because I want to hurt anyone's feelings. I can tell you conclusively where I'd stop arguing for fun: If Blizzard were to turn a hungry legal department towards Keyclone after changing their EULA to outlaw multiboxing, based on the precedence of this case. Keyclone does not violate copyright, but from my point of view neither did [unnamed botting program] according to my knowledge of computers, so I'm uneasy about the ruling. This is so unlikely to happen that it makes me laugh: unlike botting, Blizzard has never voiced any negativity about multiboxing. Blizzard is not the worry here, the power of a legal precedent and the threat it could mean to legitimate coders is.