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Charging for information - breach of EULA?
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David Kupex
The True Imperial Traders
#1 - 2017-01-20 16:47:09 UTC
For example there is the eve-marketdata and eve-central websites. They process information and give it out freely to everyone while having to pay for server costs and developer time (those are the two best examples I have since they do a lot of work compared to simpler tools and calculators).

While some ask for donations to keep their websites running, none of them charge money for the service. What if they create some "premium" feature (for example extended filtering system for trades or even some type of notification system for good deals). Now, strictly speaking they wouldn't sell eve in-game items or even the information (that is freely available) which should not breach the EULA but allow them to handle the server costs.

So I've been reading the eula, especially section B. where it forbids the trading of in-game objects for real money and it seems pretty clear that it does not involve information. Would that count as a breach of the terms or not?

Wouldn't want eve-central or eve-marketdata to go down just because they could not pay for the servers.
Linus Gorp
Ministry of Propaganda and Morale
#2 - 2017-01-20 16:59:35 UTC
https://support.eveonline.com/hc/en-us

Write a ticket.

When you don't know the difference between there, their, and they're, you come across as being so uneducated that your viewpoint can be safely dismissed. The literate is unlikely to learn much from the illiterate.
Tisiphone Dira
Garoun Investment Bank
Gallente Federation
#3 - 2017-01-20 17:16:59 UTC
In before somebody attempts to charge you for the answer to this question

There once was a ganker named tisi

A stunningly beautiful missy

To gank a gross miner

There is nothing finer, cept when they get all pissy
Scipio Artelius
Weaponised Vegemite
Flying Dangerous
#4 - 2017-01-20 17:20:53 UTC  |  Edited by: Scipio Artelius
The FAQ here answers the things you've asked:

https://developers.eveonline.com/resource/resources

However, as indicated above, if in doubt, submit a ticket and ask specifically.
Algarion Getz
Aideron Corp
#5 - 2017-01-20 17:31:00 UTC
David Kupex wrote:
So I've been reading the eula, especially section B. where it forbids the trading of in-game objects for real money and it seems pretty clear that it does not involve information. Would that count as a breach of the terms or not?

Players are selling EVE guides (which is basically information) for real money, so its probably legal. Ask support to be sure.
Amanda Creire-Geng
University of Caille
Gallente Federation
#6 - 2017-01-20 17:45:29 UTC
Sounds like a grey area, at the very least. Ditto on getting a GM answer before you do anything drastic.
Salvos Rhoska
#7 - 2017-01-20 18:36:08 UTC  |  Edited by: Salvos Rhoska
TOS/EULA is just a contractual agreement to use the service.

Laws international and in jurisdictions of either your or CCPs locations, also apply and are not overridden by that agreement.

Even though the information is available for free, that does not mean it is not owned by CCP as intellectual property.

If you charge for that information, it ceases to be free, and that opens up a world of legal hurt for you in regards to CCPs rights as the owner.

PvE v PvP <> Old School Exploration <> CODE Licenses <> CODE Special Agent
Eternus8lux8lucis
Guardians of the Gate
RAZOR Alliance
#8 - 2017-01-20 18:53:19 UTC
Theres a lot of sites, wh sites and Twitch channels, that charge real money or even isk to use their services. With some of the EULA changes Im not sure if you can actually force people to pay isk for services or not but "donations" are a grey area. But being forced to pay real money for such things has been around for a while now.

Again anything EULA/TOS related should be petitioned to get a response.

Have you heard anything I've said?

You said it's all circling the drain, the whole universe. Right?

That's right.

Had to end sometime.
Memphis Baas
#9 - 2017-01-20 20:07:07 UTC  |  Edited by: Memphis Baas
So let's look at an example:
Quote:

People pay a small sum, say $5, for your "premium" feature, which in turn gives them access to extra or sensitive information that lets them make 300 Million ISK extra profit compared to non-premium users.


Now cut away all the extraneous verbiage and you get:
Quote:
pay [...] $5 [...], make 300 Million ISK [...]


Or, in other words, RMT.

CCP has had to take action in the past to block various schemes of "premium access" because they always get turned into RMT, and the RMT traders always use the verbiage as a way to argue that their RMT isn't actually RMT but a special charity case.