Apreciate a little cd key help

[bigcurt]

I live in North Carolina, I own a cd key trading site. Where people will go out an buy or get REAL cdkeys for GAMES ONLY. No, warez titles is allowed on my forum. BTW: My forum is vbulletin also . Anyway, I was wodnering the laws for this sort of thing. I was not sure who to contact to ask. People are not allowed to trade on forum. The people post there list of what they have..then what they want and they contact each other through aim, msn or something of that sort. I have plenty of rules in place but I am wanting to maybe put a chatroom in my forum and I am not sure how the legal aspect of this is...PLEASE anyone that can help me I need AS MUCH advise or laws I can get.

PLEASE feel free to contact me.

Thanks for the help

 

[racer72]

I have forward your link to the legal departments of a couple of software development companies. I have asked what they think of your site. Don't be surprised if they want to talk to you.

 

[bigcurt]

Does that mean that you TOLD on me or something...I dont understand I thought this was suposed just to be a help site...is this right? Or am I confused?

 

[bigcurt]

Someone PLEASE tell me what this guy meant.

Thanks
Big Curt.

 

[You Are Guilty]

Someone PLEASE tell me what this guy meant.

Thanks
Big Curt.

Which word didn't you understand?

 

[divgradcurl]

"Someone PLEASE tell me what this guy meant."

since you asked so nicely...

Do you HONESTLY believe that what you are doing on your website is even remotely legal? Why would anyone NEED a CD key unless they didn't get a CD key in the first place -- which means they didn't buy the game in the first place.

You are enabling piracy here, you must know it, and you could face both civil and criminal penalties for your actions.

racer72 is simply helping you to get a "second opinion" -- albeit from the people who are taking the hit in the pocketbook from you actions.

 

[bigcurt]

First off, I am not "enabling" piracy. Piracy is all around. This is riduculous. I provide a server for people who want cd keys to contact eachother nothing is hosted on my site even remotely illegal on it. What you choose to do with the "cd key" you may or may not trade is up to you.

 

[divgradcurl]

First off, I am not "enabling" piracy. Piracy is all around. This is riduculous. I provide a server for people who want cd keys to contact eachother nothing is hosted on my site even remotely illegal on it. What you choose to do with the "cd key" you may or may not trade is up to you.

Let me ask you this: Napster tried that argument too. Why do you think that if you used this argument, the outcome for you would be any different?

 

[divgradcurl]

I was simply asking if I was breaking any laws..what are they

Well, since in the post above you clearly stated that you were not enabling piracy, I simply guessed that you knew more about the law than I did...

 

[bigcurt]

Napster was not a download p2p program like kazaa or anything of that sort it had illegal content hosted on and around its site. Mine DOES NOT that I know of that is why I was trying to get help from you guys but I guess that backfired but whatever..someone I supose please lock this thread.

 

[divgradcurl]

Napster was not a download p2p program like kazaa or anything of that sort it had illegal content hosted on and around its site.

No, Napster did not host content -- what it did was allow people who wanted to download music a way to connect with people willing to share music. Napster did not host anything, it just mediated the connection between the downloaders and sharers. Kinda just like what you are doing. And Napster was found guilty of both vicarious and contributory copyright infringement.

So, good luck with your site.

 

[bigcurt]

Someone please close this thread so I do not have to hear more about this, just wanted some help...in realizing what I was doing but whatever....you guys have "fun" with this site.

 

[bigcurt]

By The Way:::::

The reason Napster was found guilty was because they kept a centralised list of all the files their users were sharing on their servers. By contrast, many filesharing programs such as winMX and Limewire don't keep lists on their servers. In the case of WnMX, the files are searched directly from users' lists, and in Limewire's case, the lists are kept on superusers' computers (individual users with fast connections).

I am sorry I do not have a centralised list of cd keys my traders trade. I am a mediator, not a mediato of files..

Also

So, the case of EFF VS Gnutella it was decided that the legal ruling for in the Napster case didn't apply to the majority of file-sharing programs. Such as limewire or any other major filesharing/trading network or website.

 

[divgradcurl]

Many of you use KeyHunt every day as it is the best place to get the latest games for FREE

That's a quote from your site -- so, how can you help people get the latest games "for free" -- either you are contributing to the act of piracy, or do you have some special relationship with the game vendors?

So, the case of EFF VS Gnutella it was decided that the legal ruling for in the Napster case didn't apply to the majority of file-sharing programs. Such as limewire or any other major filesharing/trading network or website.

First off, its MPAA v. Gnutella, and I think the P2P guys may be in for a suprise when the Supreme Court here's this case this Spring...

But more importantly, Gnutella and the other distributed P2P systems are different from Napster because as soon as you download and install the software, they totally get out of the trading business -- they have nothing to do with. In your case, even offering a portal where the way for people to get in touch with one another to share "keys" is under your control is much more like Napster than Gnutella, and I think that if you ever get "discovered," you are going to find that the courts will agree that you are more like Napster and less like Gnutella, and you will be hosed.

But go ahead and keep on believing what you want. If you really believe that helping other's steal games and game time from companies is okay, well, what can I say...

 

[bigcurt]

My site is a way for users that might have lost there back up cd keys ( which I have done because I put all my games in a seperate case ) That quote is NOT suposed to be on there. One of my mods put it on there. It is edited. If you can prove anyway otherwise..go ahead.

BTW: If what I do is illegal, how is it legal for ebay? I believe ebay's lawyers are just a LITTLE smarter than you..but I am not sure.

such in these cases:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62053&item=8168345557&rd=1
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62053&item=8167773113&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11053&item=8167274634&rd=1
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62053&item=8168056182&rd=1

Please explain because I am not sure.?.?