EA bans another DA2 customer

[StrangerQ]

Just random thought...
http://tos.ea.com/legalapp/WEBTERMS/US/en/PC/
here are the terms of service part 11

Spoiler

11. Rules of Conduct

You may violate the Terms of Service if, as determined by EA in its sole discretion, you:

- Post, transmit, promote, or distribute Content that is illegal.
- Harass, threaten, embarrass, or do anything else to another player that is unwanted, such as repeatedly sending unwanted messages or making personal attacks or statements about race, sexual orientation, religion, heritage, etc.
- Transmit or facilitate distribution of Content that is harmful, abusive, hateful, racially, religiously or ethnically offensive, obscene, threatening, bullying, vulgar, sexually explicit, defamatory, infringing, invasive of personal privacy or publicity rights, encourages conduct that would violate a law or in a reasonable person's view, objectionable and/or inappropriate. Hate speech is not tolerated.
- Use abusive, offensive, or defamatory screen names and/or personas.
- Disrupt the flow of chat in chat rooms with vulgar language, abusiveness, hitting the return key repeatedly or inputting large images so the screen goes by too fast to read, use of excessive shouting [all caps] in an attempt to disturb other users, "spamming" or flooding [posting repetitive text].
- Impersonate another person (including celebrities), indicate falsely that you are an EA employee or a representative of EA, or attempt to mislead users by indicating that you represent EA or any of EA's partners or affiliates.
- Attempt to get a password, account information, or other private information from anyone else on EA Services.
- Upload any software or Content that you do not own or have permission to freely distribute.
- Violate any additional Rules of Conduct applicable to a specific EA Service that you are using.
- Promote, encourage or take part in any illegal activity including hacking, cracking, taking advantage of exploits or cheats and/or distribution of counterfeit software.
- Upload files that contain a virus, worm, spyware, time bombs, corrupted data or other computer programs that may damage, interfere with or disrupt EA Services.
- Post messages for any purpose other than personal communication, including advertising or promotional messaging, chain letters, pyramid schemes, or other commercial activities.
- Improperly use in-game support or complaint buttons or make false reports to EA staff.
- Use or distribute unauthorized "auto" software programs, "macro" software programs or other "cheat utility" software program or applications.
- Modify or attempt to modify any part of the EA Service that EA does not specifically authorize you to modify.
- Post or communicate any person's real-world personal information using an EA Service.
- Attempt to interfere with, hack into or decipher any transmissions to or from the servers for an EA Service.
- Use and communicate exploits to gain unfair advantage in a game
- Attempt to use EA Software on or through any service that is not controlled or authorized by Electronic Arts. Any such use is at your own risk and may subject you to additional or different terms. EA takes no responsibility for your use of EA Software on or through any service that is not controlled by Electronic Arts.
- Interfere with the ability of others to enjoy playing an EA Service or take actions that interfere with or materially increase the cost to provide an EA Service for the enjoyment of all its users.
- Unless expressly authorized by EA, you may not sell, buy, trade or otherwise transfer your EA account or any personal access to EA Services, Content or Entitlements, including by use of auction websites.
- You may not conduct any activities that violate the laws of any jurisdiction including but not limited to copyright infringement, trademark infringement, defamation, invasion of privacy, identity theft, hacking, stalking, fraud and the distribution of counterfeit software.

Specific EA Services may also post additional rules that apply to your conduct on those services.
You must also obey all federal, state, and local laws, regulations and rules that apply to your activities when you use EA Services. EA reserves the right to terminate your Account and to prevent your use of any and all EA Services if your Account is used to engage in illegal activity or to violate this Terms of Service.

Unless otherwise specified and except for EA Services directed to children under the age of thirteen (13), there is no requirement or expectation that EA will monitor or record any online activity on EA Services, including communications. However, EA reserves the right to monitor and/or record any online activity on EA Services and you give EA your express consent to monitor and record your activities. EA reserves the right to remove any content from any EA Service at EA's sole discretion. EA has no liability for your or any third party's violation of this Agreement.

If you encounter another user who is violating any of the Rules of Conduct, please report this activity to EA using the "Help" or "Report Abuse" functions in the relevant EA Service.

and here is part part 9

Spoiler

. Termination of EA Services, Accounts and Entitlements

EA may terminate access to any online or mobile products and/or EA Services at any time by giving you notice of such termination within the time period specified when you joined the particular EA Service, or if no time period for notice of termination was specified, then within thirty (30) days of the date such notice is posted on the applicable product or EA Service or on http://www.ea.com/2/service-updates.

EA may also terminate your Account(s) (and access to all related Entitlements) for violation of this Terms of Service, illegal or improper use of your Account, or illegal or improper use of EA Services, Content, Entitlement, products, or EA's Intellectual Property as determined by EA in its sole discretion. You may lose your user name and persona as a result of Account termination. If you have more than one (1) Account, EA may terminate all of your Accounts and all related Entitlements. In response to a violation of these Terms of Service or any other agreement applicable to EA Services accessed by you, EA may issue you a warning, suspend your Account, selectively remove, revoke or garnish Entitlements associated with your Account or immediately terminate any and all Accounts that you have established. You acknowledge that EA is not required to provide you notice before suspending or terminating your Account or selectively removing, revoking or garnishing Entitlements associated with your Account. If EA terminates your Account, you may not participate in an EA Service again without EA's express permission. EA reserves the right to refuse to keep Accounts for, and provide EA Services to, any individual. You may not allow individuals whose Accounts have been terminated by EA to use your Account.

If your Account, or a particular subscription for an EA Service associated with your Account, is terminated, suspended and/or if any Entitlements are selectively removed, revoked or garnished from your Account, no refund will be granted, no Entitlements will be credited to you or converted to cash or other forms of reimbursement, and you will have no further access to your Account or Entitlements associated with your Account or the particular EA Service. If you believe that any action has been taken against your Account in error, please contact Customer Support at support.ea.com.

Now how many of you have actually red these?
And they even ask that you had red the Terms of Service

They accepted the contract.
They violated the contract.
EA responds in way they told you.

And people go nuts that EA is eevil and not doing the right thing.

silly silly people
And im speaking the whole thing counting this troll and previous so called "scandal"

 

[willsham45]

EA should have no right to link forum use to the users game account they are 2 completely different things.
Its like a book store not letting you enter because you did not like harry potter or use a restaurant because you said there toilets were not clean, probably bad examples but you get the idea,

 

[StrangerQ]

EA should have no right to link forum use to the users game account they are 2 completely different things.
Its like a book store not letting you enter because you did not like harry potter or use a restaurant because you said there toilets were not clean, probably bad examples but you get the idea,

terms of service part 2

Spoiler

2. Content

"Content" on EA Services includes software, technology, text, forum posts, chat posts, profiles, widgets, messages, links, emails, music, sound, graphics, pictures, video, code, and all audio visual or other material appearing on or emanating to and/or from EA Services, as well as the design and appearance of our websites. All Content--with the exception of third party content discussed below in Section 6, is owned by EA or its affiliates, subsidiaries, licensors or suppliers. Content includes user-generated Content ("UGC"). EA Content and UGC collectively shall be referred to as "Content." EA does not pre-screen all UGC and does not endorse, approve, or prescreen any UGC that you and other users may contribute to EA Services. You bear the entire risk of the completeness, accuracy or usefulness of Content found on EA Services.

EA reserves the right (but has no obligation) to remove, block, edit, move or disable UGC that is objectionable to us for any reason. The decision to remove UGC or other Content at any time is in EA's sole and final discretion. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, EA does not assume any responsibility or liability for UGC or for any failure to or delay in removing UGC or other Content.

You are solely responsible for your UGC and may be held liable for UGC that you post.

contract states the link thus making them to have all rights to heavy use of ban hammer

 

[willsham45]

EA should have no right to link forum use to the users game account they are 2 completely different things.
Its like a book store not letting you enter because you did not like harry potter or use a restaurant because you said there toilets were not clean, probably bad examples but you get the idea,

terms of service part 2

Spoiler

2. Content

"Content" on EA Services includes software, technology, text, forum posts, chat posts, profiles, widgets, messages, links, emails, music, sound, graphics, pictures, video, code, and all audio visual or other material appearing on or emanating to and/or from EA Services, as well as the design and appearance of our websites. All Content--with the exception of third party content discussed below in Section 6, is owned by EA or its affiliates, subsidiaries, licensors or suppliers. Content includes user-generated Content ("UGC"). EA Content and UGC collectively shall be referred to as "Content." EA does not pre-screen all UGC and does not endorse, approve, or prescreen any UGC that you and other users may contribute to EA Services. You bear the entire risk of the completeness, accuracy or usefulness of Content found on EA Services.

EA reserves the right (but has no obligation) to remove, block, edit, move or disable UGC that is objectionable to us for any reason. The decision to remove UGC or other Content at any time is in EA's sole and final discretion. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, EA does not assume any responsibility or liability for UGC or for any failure to or delay in removing UGC or other Content.

You are solely responsible for your UGC and may be held liable for UGC that you post.

contract states the link thus making them to have all rights to heavy use of ban hammer

oh yes, I get that they can do it obviously they have utilised that power but again it all seams unrelated. The fact is this does not help EA in the gaming community and if this keeps up well this is how boycotts start. I am defiantly less likly to buy an EA game title for knowing if I say something wrong they can and will take away my the game I paid for away from me.

Either someone thought this was a good idea to boost relationships in the community or someone was kissing up to there bosses so much they thought they should not say anything negative. Either way this is not helping anyone and EA trully needs a bucket of water thrown over there heads to make them wake up and realise that they are making themselves very unliked.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Oh EA, and you were doing so well. You'd gotten most of the hate thrown off of you and onto Activision, you were backing some new original IPs, like Deadspace. It looked like you were going to make a recovery and suddenly turn into a decent publisher, and then this.

Oh well, I guess a tiger can't change his stripes, or however the fuck that saying goes.

 

[Chappy]

I can't see this being very good for their future, if bannings happen more and get more publicity how many people do they suppose will stop buying their games when they know EA has the power to take all their moneys worth away at a mouse click.

 

[KefkaCultist]

Fully sided with EA on these issues.

And I'm calling shenanigans on the complainer.

("I swear to god I'm gonna pistol whip the next person that says shenanigans!")

 

[StrangerQ]

EA should have no right to link forum use to the users game account they are 2 completely different things.
Its like a book store not letting you enter because you did not like harry potter or use a restaurant because you said there toilets were not clean, probably bad examples but you get the idea,

terms of service part 2

Spoiler

2. Content

"Content" on EA Services includes software, technology, text, forum posts, chat posts, profiles, widgets, messages, links, emails, music, sound, graphics, pictures, video, code, and all audio visual or other material appearing on or emanating to and/or from EA Services, as well as the design and appearance of our websites. All Content--with the exception of third party content discussed below in Section 6, is owned by EA or its affiliates, subsidiaries, licensors or suppliers. Content includes user-generated Content ("UGC"). EA Content and UGC collectively shall be referred to as "Content." EA does not pre-screen all UGC and does not endorse, approve, or prescreen any UGC that you and other users may contribute to EA Services. You bear the entire risk of the completeness, accuracy or usefulness of Content found on EA Services.

EA reserves the right (but has no obligation) to remove, block, edit, move or disable UGC that is objectionable to us for any reason. The decision to remove UGC or other Content at any time is in EA's sole and final discretion. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, EA does not assume any responsibility or liability for UGC or for any failure to or delay in removing UGC or other Content.

You are solely responsible for your UGC and may be held liable for UGC that you post.

contract states the link thus making them to have all rights to heavy use of ban hammer

oh yes, I get that they can do it obviously they have utilised that power but again it all seams unrelated. The fact is this does not help EA in the gaming community and if this keeps up well this is how boycotts start. I am defiantly less likly to buy an EA game title for knowing if I say something wrong they can and will take away my the game I paid for away from me.

Either someone thought this was a good idea to boost relationships in the community or someone was kissing up to there bosses so much they thought they should not say anything negative. Either way this is not helping anyone and EA trully needs a bucket of water thrown over there heads to make them wake up and realise that they are making themselves very unliked.

I agree that EA instead of calm chipping issues with small mallet they bring in the sledge hammer and smash the shit up

But any big company will take Slander and *Insult of honor very very seriously since both acts can be count as "crimes" and legal actions may be taken.
Companies want to keep their image in terms of legal issues. While they succeed in this they fail to notice that they do it too aggressively thus hurtin their own cash bag

*which might not be correct legal term but at least here in Finlad big offecences can be brought to court which is rare since going court costs big money thus fixin situation is more commonly done in private

 

[Sarge034]

EA should have no right to link forum use to the users game account they are 2 completely different things.
Its like a book store not letting you enter because you did not like harry potter or use a restaurant because you said there toilets were not clean, probably bad examples but you get the idea,

terms of service part 2

Spoiler

2. Content

"Content" on EA Services includes software, technology, text, forum posts, chat posts, profiles, widgets, messages, links, emails, music, sound, graphics, pictures, video, code, and all audio visual or other material appearing on or emanating to and/or from EA Services, as well as the design and appearance of our websites. All Content--with the exception of third party content discussed below in Section 6, is owned by EA or its affiliates, subsidiaries, licensors or suppliers. Content includes user-generated Content ("UGC"). EA Content and UGC collectively shall be referred to as "Content." EA does not pre-screen all UGC and does not endorse, approve, or prescreen any UGC that you and other users may contribute to EA Services. You bear the entire risk of the completeness, accuracy or usefulness of Content found on EA Services.

EA reserves the right (but has no obligation) to remove, block, edit, move or disable UGC that is objectionable to us for any reason. The decision to remove UGC or other Content at any time is in EA's sole and final discretion. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, EA does not assume any responsibility or liability for UGC or for any failure to or delay in removing UGC or other Content.

You are solely responsible for your UGC and may be held liable for UGC that you post.

contract states the link thus making them to have all rights to heavy use of ban hammer

oh yes, I get that they can do it obviously they have utilised that power but again it all seams unrelated. The fact is this does not help EA in the gaming community and if this keeps up well this is how boycotts start. I am defiantly less likly to buy an EA game title for knowing if I say something wrong they can and will take away my the game I paid for away from me.

Either someone thought this was a good idea to boost relationships in the community or someone was kissing up to there bosses so much they thought they should not say anything negative. Either way this is not helping anyone and EA trully needs a bucket of water thrown over there heads to make them wake up and realise that they are making themselves very unliked.

I actually respect EA more now. Forum bans do nothing. This guy has another account up and is posting as we speak. Now the forum banhammer has some real bite to it. It's simple if you don't break the contract they can't ban you.

 

[Booze Zombie]

All these years of good press for Bioware and EA, very quickly going down the bog hole.

terms of service part 2

Spoiler

2. Content

"Content" on EA Services includes software, technology, text, forum posts, chat posts, profiles, widgets, messages, links, emails, music, sound, graphics, pictures, video, code, and all audio visual or other material appearing on or emanating to and/or from EA Services, as well as the design and appearance of our websites. All Content--with the exception of third party content discussed below in Section 6, is owned by EA or its affiliates, subsidiaries, licensors or suppliers. Content includes user-generated Content ("UGC"). EA Content and UGC collectively shall be referred to as "Content." EA does not pre-screen all UGC and does not endorse, approve, or prescreen any UGC that you and other users may contribute to EA Services. You bear the entire risk of the completeness, accuracy or usefulness of Content found on EA Services.

EA reserves the right (but has no obligation) to remove, block, edit, move or disable UGC that is objectionable to us for any reason. The decision to remove UGC or other Content at any time is in EA's sole and final discretion. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, EA does not assume any responsibility or liability for UGC or for any failure to or delay in removing UGC or other Content.

You are solely responsible for your UGC and may be held liable for UGC that you post.

contract states the link thus making them to have all rights to heavy use of ban hammer

They can write anything they want in a contract, however, it was noted in another forum post that use of unreasonable clauses can be reversed and challenged, legally.

Just throwing that out there.

 

[Buccura]

This whole business here is very fishy. I'm most certainly not throwing out the possibility of EA being dickish here, however, I cannot help but wonder if there is more to this than we are being told.

 

[PixieDiamond]

This is why I feel sad at knowing that EA has its claws in the Mass Effect universe...

 

[Brian Hendershot]

He should be banned. He was using Internet Explorer!

Seriously though, this story is sketch.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

Just like the times when the Church used to rule the states, am I right or am I right, fellas?

Corporate meddling. There needs to be separation between Corporate and Developing now.

 

[Kikosemmek]

And to think, all this over a mediocre game.

 

[eezaak]

Or just download a pirated version of the game? Hell, if you've payed for it and can't play it. This seems very fair.

 

[Dense_Electric]

I hope someone sues these fuckers, seriously. I don't care what it says in the contract, taking someone's money and then revoking their right to use what they legally paid for is theft, plain and simple. If they can't take a little hate and try to do this every time someone OH WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH DOESN'T LIKE MY GAME WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH, they're not going to be in this business too much longer. Eventually someone is going to point out that they're stealing from their customers, and they're going to get their asses handed to them in a court room (assuming the judge and jury aren't as corrupt as they are). Or someone could just bomb their offices, either way.

It's a shame, too, because I was starting to warm up to EA for a few months there. Apart from a few poor-taste marketing campaigns, they'd been publishing some decent games and weren't being colossal dicks. But now it appears that was just a brief fluke. Oh well, I guess I won't be giving them my business in the future.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

EULA's aren't legally binding. Because by the time you 'agree' to them, the transaction has already taken place. EULA's would only have any kind of legal standing if you had to read and agree to them before you actually handed money over for the game. Just because it tries to paint itself as a legal document, doesn't mean it is. I could make you sign a contract which declares your family and all your property to now belong to me. Doesn't mean it would stand up in a court of law. Indeed, any judge or lawyer would laugh me out of court.

Fair divs, I wasn't aware that the EULA wasn't legally binding. The point still stands however, that he was warned that should he breach the terms of the agreement to the forums then he would have his account banned and any games linked to that account would be locked. It's unfair, but he really should have just acted normally instead of flaming the guys who insulted Bioware. It's really just a matter of principle over PR for Bioware and EA, they have their money but they need to protect their reputation.