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Korean Government Bans Online Virtual Item Trading. 5 YearJail Time

SkyCrown

SkyCrown

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June 17, 2012 [h=1]Korean Government Bans Online Virtual Item Trading. Jail time included.[/h]
Blizzard has managed to get the Korean government involved in the gaming industry more than everyone could have imagined. This was all triggered by the unsuccessful launch and the increasing number of hacked accounts, botting and item selling.
In Korea, 93% of the population has access to internet, making it a very appealing market for game developers. This is the case for Blizzard which managed to sell a very significant number of copies to the Korean Diablo 3 fan community. With such a large player base, hacks, exploits, item farming and account theft has affected a significant number of Koreans.

The government stepped in to regulate how things work in the digital environment. As of now, any kind of trade of game items for real money is a criminal offense and it can lead to five years of jail time.


The same goes for the ones that are into botting, account theft and pretty much anything else that can affect the game?s economy and player security. Everyone caught performing any of these actions can also risk a $43.000 fine.

Some might disagree with these harsh laws and that the Korean government should not interfere with this virtual economies but truth be told, the ones that disagree must be individuals that like to pay real money for items and currency for their favorite game.


The American developer will not be directly affected by these regulations but there are some ramifications. This intervention was caused by Blizzard. It can count as a heavy PR blow and if we were to sum it up with the other problems it has caused in Korea, Blizzard should expect more reactions from the government.

News also hit:

cinemablend

Diablo III has been a cesspool for grey market peddling and consumers left and right are being ripped off, swindled and having their accounts and personal information sold all over the black market just for a ?game?.

This definitely isn?t looking too good for Blizzard, especially with the impending lawsuit from the Korean cafe owners set to get underway and with their offices recently raided by the Korean FTC. Full here

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Click to expand...



Korean Government Bans Online Virtual Item Trading. Jail time included.
 
Any of our Korean DB friends online....who can share any further details?
 
Even though this is Korea (Asian Blizzard Servers) and not Europe or US.......no one here finds this shocking news?? :confused:


5 yr jail time and $43,000 fine if caught botting or trading virtual items



80% of all of Buzzard Asian servers were located in Korea, you can bet they are not today.
 
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It's not too shocking since it's Korea. They have a lot of laws about gaming/mmo's. I would be more surprised if it was almost any other country though.
 
Forbes Source: Two Week Old News

[h=1]Korean Government Raids Blizzard Offices Over Diablo 3 Launch[/h]Blizzard can add the Korean Fair Trade Commission to the list of people who were less than pleased about the way it handled the Diablo 3 launch. The FTC raided the game company’s Seoul office on Monday following reports that it denied refunds to eligible gamers, reports the Korea Times. “We have received many complaints from Diablo 3 users,” FTC spokesman Kim Hyung-bae told the Times. The organization is launching an investigation


The twelve-year wait for the new Diablo game proved anticlimactic for users across the globe when a massive wave of traffic shut down Blizzard’s servers and subjected legions of would-be demon slayers to the unstoppable force of “error 37.” Since Diablo 3 is an online-only game, it meant that even people who only wanted to play single player still found themselves incapable of signing into Battle.net.


Blizzard apparently refused dissatisfied Korean gamers refunds based on sales contract agreements, and the FTC is looking into whether or not those contracts are unfairly keeping gamers from getting their money back after they discover problems with the game.


Korea is a massive market for Blizzard, so this could be a big deal if the FTC uncovers wrongdoing on Blizzard’s behalf. It’s an interesting move, and could have implications for the way companies are forced to handle consumer complaints in the future. After Diablo 3 got up and running, it became accepted wisdom that Blizzard was going to come out of the debacle a little embarrassed but otherwise strong. Legal action, however, could make this an entirely different matter.


Korean Government Raids Blizzard Offices Over Diablo 3 Launch - Forbes
 
its for the greater good

now hardcore gamer can get a gf and make microtransaction on her vagina
 
haha

MAybe if the RMAH dont come now the Gold Prices raise up

But the RMAH make the Prices sink and Gold wothless -.-
 
I don't know... I have a feeling that prices are going to rise because of this. Korean gamers make up a HUGE part of the mmo gaming community - I am very interested how this is going to turn out and what it means for Blizzard.
 
Kill RMAH. you can either have free to play and buy additional content that is cool like skins in league or something that helps you do a little bit better.

Blizzard is basically creating a game that requires you to buy stuff in order to finish the game.
 
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