EA bans another DA2 customer

[jakefongloo]

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.

I'm not going to even begin to say I know what the fuck i'm talking about here, but shit this IS the internet.

You can if you put in a subsection stating that the client recognises all clauses and conditions and accepts them accordingly.

 

[Nannernade]

Wow lol is this some sort of hardcore no tolerance policy? How about people stop posting on EA's threads all together for awhile make EA go WTF? Where did everyone go?!

 

[Danpascooch]

I hear you calling everyone douchebags and throwing vague insults, but nowhere do you state why being mad at a company for not letting you use a product you paid $60 for is a bad thing.

Likely because I know how to take responsibility for my actions, and therefore my actions don't include things that will get my toys taken away.

So EA are serving as our parents now? Allowed to take things from us if they think we misbehave?

When you pay something, they can't come back and steal it from you legally.

 

[Traun]

So now people are defending policies allowing corporations to take away your perches based on what they see fit? So, are you going to justify company policies when "buying a game" means a 2-year license?

 

[Booze Zombie]

I'm not going to even begin to say I know what the fuck i'm talking about here, but shit this IS the internet.

You can if you put in a subsection stating that the client recognises all clauses and conditions and accepts them accordingly.

If it's unreasonable, it can be rendered void, legally. However, most companies have more than enough money to holdout against this sort of thing... but the publicity will probably crush their stocks hard, if they did.

 

[JohnnyDelRay]

snip

The dictionary disagrees.

theft-
1. criminal law - the dishonest taking of property belonging to another person with the intention of depriving the owner permanently of its possession

How is that disagreeing? They intend to stop him from playing his game which he paid for, which is in effect, depriving him of ownership (because the right to play the game is what he paid for, in fact).

I also have my doubts whether this whole issue is legit or if I'm missing something between the lines, but in any case, they shouldn't have the right to ban him from playing. From posting on forums, sure, but not being able to play single player games is going a bit far. However, is it actually required to log in before playing? I know Battlefield is, but DA:2?

Odd, in my dictionary it says "to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, especially secretly or by force"

EA is completely in their right for denying access to the game. It's clearly written in the TOS that what he was doing was wrong. He's broken their terms of service multiple times, was provided warning messages, yet still continued to do it.

Also, you don't have to login to play the game. If he wanted to, he could just make a new account and everything would be fine.
He could also just play offline with all the DLC he has already bought.

Ah well in that case, if he can still play is another story. In fact it looks like this has been blown out a bit. If he has violated the terms of the forum membership of EA, by all accounts he should be banned, I mean that's what the regulations are there for anyways. By making it sound like he's not allowed to play the game *at all* anymore, even though he paid for it, paints EA in a rather bad light. Despite their bad press lately, I'm not sure if this counts. But, I'm just kind of speculating as I don't know too much about the whole issue.

Bottom line, if he can still play single player, and has crossed the line in other aspects pertaining to his EA account, then I don't see any problem.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

Seriously?

The moment I got to this, I realized it was going to be bullshit:

In what seems to be a norm these days

Two people. In a week. Out of how many people who bought the game?

This continued vitriol toward Bioware is getting obnoxious. Just because they're under EA now doesn't mean they're automatically evil and pulling a couple of incredibly rare pieces of circumstantial evidence together doesn't prove anything. Hell, it isn't even good evidence that EA is evil.

And are we forgetting that they admitted the last one was a mistake and fixed it?

This is all just getting increasingly petty.

 

[Venereus]

Seriously?

The moment I got to this, I realized it was going to be bullshit:

In what seems to be a norm these days

Two people. In a week. Out of how many people who bought the game?

This continued vitriol toward Bioware is getting obnoxious. Just because they're under EA now doesn't mean they're automatically evil and pulling a couple of incredibly rare pieces of circumstantial evidence together doesn't prove anything. Hell, it isn't even good evidence that EA is evil.

And are we forgetting that they admitted the last one was a mistake and fixed it?

This is all just getting increasingly petty.

All corporations are inherently evil in my book. It's just that some of them are a bit more shy about it.

Anyway, I also suspect this new story being pure BS. EA should still be hated, though.

 

[OutforEC]

I hear you calling everyone douchebags and throwing vague insults, but nowhere do you state why being mad at a company for not letting you use a product you paid $60 for is a bad thing.

Likely because I know how to take responsibility for my actions, and therefore my actions don't include things that will get my toys taken away.

So EA are serving as our parents now? Allowed to take things from us if they think we misbehave?

When you pay something, they can't come back and steal it from you legally.

In order for this to be *theft* they would have to take back the physical media. They're canceling his licensing agreement to use their (yes, THEIR) software, which by the terms of the end user licensing agreement (EULA), they're well within their rights to do.

Is it a dick move? I'm not arguing that the potential for abuse is there. But in this particular case, using the user's post history and common sense, I'll stick with no.

 

[OutforEC]

I do not care if the guy was spamming goatse pics all over the forums. They have no right to block him from playing a game he paid for.
You want to ban him from playing the game? Fine, give him his fucking money back.

Then lobby to have the rules changed, because as it is they DO have that right (even though he's not blocked from playing it, only from playing it on his banned account).

 

[AceAngel]

I dunno what it is but something about this feels off.

Anyone minds doing a little bit of exploring? There is more to that story, and that guy knows it, maybe if actually used logic instead of his kidney as a brain, this wouldn't have happened.

I declare shenanigans.
There is something more to this story unless I'm mistaken.
Gentlemen, get your brooms.

This, there was hardly ANY information in this "report".

What were his posts?
Who reported him?
How many times has he been on the wire?

This a bit of shit slap-dash reporting. If you go one more step /make shit up\ then this turns into propoganda.

I didn't looke around THAT hard, but things like sources are at the end of the report 90%+ of the time. So if I'm really that blind someone help me out and tell me where it is.

Calling another member of the community a prick and repeatedly trying to kiss EA's and Bioware's ass by flaming whenever someone complained about something is not a valid reason enough?

So it's OK to ban someone on the Escapist for being an arse to the community and getting reported multiple times to be banned or put on probation, but as soon as it happens to another person on another forum, under the banner of EA, 'waah waah waah' they played foul?

Also, I thought it was already confirmed, you could either make another account and tie it to that one or wait for the 3 day timer on your game. I also recall that you mainly cannot 'activate' your game when Banned, but could play it post-activation without issues.

EA and Bioware employee's are big boys, they can take the flaming. Being an arse to other people more then once will only bring you issues.

 

[Bobbity]

I'm just wondering how badly this guy insulted the others. He kinda skimmed over that bit

 

[mooncalf]

The e-mail from EA says this was a final step, what were the other steps? I mean I've heard about people getting banned, does anything happen before that? A second chance or three strikes?

 

[Trolldor]

I hear you calling everyone douchebags and throwing vague insults, but nowhere do you state why being mad at a company for not letting you use a product you paid $60 for is a bad thing.

Likely because I know how to take responsibility for my actions, and therefore my actions don't include things that will get my toys taken away.

So EA are serving as our parents now? Allowed to take things from us if they think we misbehave?

When you pay something, they can't come back and steal it from you legally.

In order for this to be *theft* they would have to take back the physical media. They're canceling his licensing agreement to use their (yes, THEIR) software, which by the terms of the end user licensing agreement (EULA), they're well within their rights to do.

Is it a dick move? I'm not arguing that the potential for abuse is there. But in this particular case, using the user's post history and common sense, I'll stick with no.

And again, a game is not the physical copy, it is the data.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

snip

Wait, he can still play his games? Then why is everyone up in arms? Looks like EA just banned a troll. Seriously, if he still has access to his games then what is the big deal?

 

[Trolldor]

snip

Wait, he can still play his games? Then why is everyone up in arms? Looks like EA just banned a troll. Seriously, if he still has access to his games then what is the big deal?

He has to create a whole new account, apparently, nor can he register games with a 'banned' account.
Quite frankly that's bullshit.
He shouldn't have to go through loopholes. He shouldn't be denied any access to his game because of what he did on a forum.

 

[Danpascooch]

I hear you calling everyone douchebags and throwing vague insults, but nowhere do you state why being mad at a company for not letting you use a product you paid $60 for is a bad thing.

Likely because I know how to take responsibility for my actions, and therefore my actions don't include things that will get my toys taken away.

So EA are serving as our parents now? Allowed to take things from us if they think we misbehave?

When you pay something, they can't come back and steal it from you legally.

In order for this to be *theft* they would have to take back the physical media. They're canceling his licensing agreement to use their (yes, THEIR) software, which by the terms of the end user licensing agreement (EULA), they're well within their rights to do.

Is it a dick move? I'm not arguing that the potential for abuse is there. But in this particular case, using the user's post history and common sense, I'll stick with no.

EULA's have been invalidated in court before for overstepping their bounds, how is this any different from stealing the physical media if they render it useless?

Also, what the fuck do you know about the user's post history? Did you go through all his posts?

 

[Krion_Vark]

Like people have said this seems a bit weird the wording the guy put. I feel like something else has happened and we aren't getting the whole story here like the mother and her autistic son boosting achievements.
/serious
But hell its the internet you can say whatever you want without consequences right?
/sarcasm.

*EDIT* WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE I JUST REREAD THE ARTICLE!
In the post NO WHERE BUT THE TITLE does it make mention of Dragon Age 2. Except referencing the previous story to be like EA FUCKED ME OVER LIKE THAT GUY.

ALSO here is the clause in it about termination of accounts:

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, products, or EA's Intellectual Property. You may lose your user names and personas as a result of Account termination. If you have more than one Account, EA may terminate all of your Accounts and all related entitlements. EA may issue you a warning, or EA may immediately terminate any and all Accounts that you have established. You acknowledge that EA is not required to provide you notice before terminating your Account(s). If EA terminates your Account, you may not participate in an EA Service again without EA's express permission. To participate in an EA Service, contact support.ea.com 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.

The other one was a bit more straight forward where it was a computer mess up and he was supposed to just be banned from the forums while this one he was sent and email saying that he was banned from playing the games through EA. This one I have to say that its on the person whose account was banned's head as far as the ToS goes. What actually happened I have no idea but until we get the actual story I do have to say that EA is in the right at the moment.

 

[Veloxe]

Sweet mother of mercy. 5 pages of this and only about 3 or 4 people actually seem to have it right! He can still play DA2 if he feels the need, he hasn't been banned from playing. Hell he can (and from what I understand from posts in this thread, has) made another forum account and keep posting/trolling/whatever the hell he's doing.

This whole thing just smells of troll to me. He broke the rules on their forums (several times if that email screenshot is to be believed) and then got his ass banned from the forums. Then he goes and tries to spread it around that he can't play DA2 anymore (which is a lie) and that the big bad EA is stepping all over his right to play a game he purchased. One guy decides he wants to play the martyr card and get his 15 minutes of fame and everyone is so quick to jump on the bandwagon that they can't tell it's heading off the cliff.

 

[Krion_Vark]

Sweet mother of mercy. 5 pages of this and only about 3 or 4 people actually seem to have it right! He can still play DA2 if he feels the need, he hasn't been banned from playing. Hell he can (and from what I understand from posts in this thread, has) made another forum account and keep posting/trolling/whatever the hell he's doing.

This whole thing just smells of troll to me. He broke the rules on their forums (several times if that email screenshot is to be believed) and then got his ass banned from the forums. Then he goes and tries to spread it around that he can't play DA2 anymore (which is a lie) and that the big bad EA is stepping all over his right to play a game he purchased. One guy decides he wants to play the martyr card and get his 15 minutes of fame and everyone is so quick to jump on the bandwagon that they can't tell it's heading off the cliff.

I actually reread the email after reading your post and from what I can gather from the Email is that he can't play it because ALL EA accounts linked to his email have been terminated meaning that he cannot access anything with those with online support. He can probably still play DA2 offline but online is most likely now a no go.

I do whole heartadly agree with you though that this is most likely 100% his fault.