Montreal Transit Threatens Lawsuit Over Counter-Strike Map

[Little Gray]

I have to say those guys making this map are real idiots. You cant honestly expect to get away with using copyrighted structures and logos in your game after you asked for permission and were denied. The trains, logos, maps, and building are all protected and cant be recreated without permission.


Then again he is using misdirection to gain support by throwing out the terrorist comment. Not surprisingly its something that a lot of people here fell for.

 

[MarsProbe]

Uh, a subway station isn't public space. That's why subway security can throw you out and fine you. Just like a museum isn't public space just because anyone who pays can enter.

And I don't think it's about training for terrorists at all, just a publicity thing. Especially now that gamers will get enraged over this. And quite frankly, I don't give a frack.

Your subway stations have security? That's just crazy talk. Anyway, I've never really considered public transport not to be a public space, because of, you know, the whole "public" thing.

Anyway, perhaps the good folks of London (in general) should follow this example take action against the makers of Skyfall, given all the London based carnage that takes place in that film. Wouldn't want the wrong kind of people to be inspired to attack London, something which has never happened before.

 

[DirgeNovak]

Is this it? They reduced the biggest metro station in the city to one platform? If they made the whole thing it could be interesting, but if they really only made that one platform, it's shit.
And even if the station layout isn't copyrighted, I'm pretty sure the fucking Metrovision logo is. Dumbasses. (Edit: And the map, too!)

Your subway stations have security? That's just crazy talk.

Security and actual cop patrols. You don't fuck with our subway.

 

[RicoADF]

Uh, a subway station isn't public space. That's why subway security can throw you out and fine you. Just like a museum isn't public space just because anyone who pays can enter.

And I don't think it's about training for terrorists at all, just a publicity thing. Especially now that gamers will get enraged over this. And quite frankly, I don't give a frack.

It depends where you live. In NSW for example, stations are classified public space and you can take photos, film etc under normal public space laws.

 

[DragonStorm247]

doesn't believe he can be legally forbidden from recreating a public space. Frédéric Denis, a programmer on the project, described the situation as "ridiculous" and said that terrorists who want to learn the details of the station's layout can just go there and ride around on the subway, like he did.

Pretty much sums it up.

And if you're the kind of person who would actually panic if something like this happened, sorry but you're an idiot.

 

[Quaxar]

Uh, a subway station isn't public space. That's why subway security can throw you out and fine you. Just like a museum isn't public space just because anyone who pays can enter.

And I don't think it's about training for terrorists at all, just a publicity thing. Especially now that gamers will get enraged over this. And quite frankly, I don't give a frack.

Your subway stations have security? That's just crazy talk. Anyway, I've never really considered public transport not to be a public space, because of, you know, the whole "public" thing.

I don't know what dream system you are part of, but I suppose there isn't a subway without any security. Not every station all the time of course, but they certainly employ them. Like for ticket control and stuff.

And is a theatre or cinema public space then? Just like a subway anyone can pay to use them for a period of time but they are still private property.

 

[MarsProbe]

I don't know what dream system you are part of, but I suppose there isn't a subway without any security. Not every station all the time of course, but they certainly employ them. Like for ticket control and stuff.

And is a theatre or cinema public space then? Just like a subway anyone can pay to use them for a period of time but they are still private property.

It's no dream. Sounds like you're missing out though. One time, we had some guys tearing down the passenger concourse of our bus station in quad bikes. Quality. That's democracy in action right there folks!

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Yet another case of idiots condemning what they don't understand.

 

[Dryk]

Asking, getting shot down, then making it anyway is a dick move

 

[The Random One]

Just... switch to a proxy name. Really. Anyone who would enjoy the place because it's someone they often go to will still enjoy it if it's called the "Canada Megawesome Transport System, Named In English Despite Being In Francophone Montreal (CMTSNIEDBIFM)" and anyone who doesn't know the real place won't care.

The architecture of the place is public and probably can be reproduced without risk, but the name of an actual organisation may be problematic.

 

[AlexZeNotSoGreat]

Couple things I've found out.

D. Liatis is not the creator of the map.
He's the leader of the group of the actual creator.
His group is called NRK (anarchy?) gaming. Wich stands for Notorious Resipiscere Kapos wich is related to the Nazis' concentration camps.

These facts alone and the way he's handling this probably means he's seeing this as a PR stunt. The way he answers the journalist in the "Journal de Montreal" clearly shows he's taking the credit for the map.

He's also taking the role of the poor artist being gagged by the evil corporation. Even mentioning the Concervative government (wich has nothing to do with this).

And with the fact he's the leader of this group. If he does get sued it's either gonna be his members that pay or he's gonna blame the actual creator to get out of it.

So my opinion on the subject :

If somebody asks you not to do something that can hurt them don't do it.

My opinion on this guy :

A crook with a bad attitude.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Laughably ridiculous in fact.

Who the fuck "panics" when they see a real place in a virtual setting? Do they get freaked out by Google Maps as well?

How fucking stupid.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Whaaaat? Isn't it a public space? How can you stop someone from using that?

 

[marurder]

I wait with baited breath to see a group make a new map of the whole station out of spite and defiance and release it publicly on /b/ .

 

[Strazdas]

Id rather wish they would sue CS for making whole generation of FPSers dumber instead.

 

[Terramax]

This map sucks anyways. I don't mind. It's totally understandable that they wouldn't want an actual public space being used as the setting for a game involving terrorists either.

Only because, in this scenario, there's no money to be made out of it.

The 7/7 attacks didn't stop a terrorist plot at a London train station in the Bourne Ultimatum. Yeah, people of London are very scared to get on the train simply for that movie's depiction.

 

[Gilhelmi]

What I want to know is if there would have been a lawsuit threatened if this was a movie. Same exact context with terrorists, but a movie instead of a video game.

Probably not, as the producers of said movie would shell out quite a bit of cash to use the location.

That's probably a way to put it into perspective, really. "You're going to pay us to use it in a movie? Sure! Go right ahead. You're going to create free content based around our stuff and we're not going to see a penny of it? LAWSUIT!"

You absolutely have a point with the comment above! They won't entirely make a "Scene" out of it, since they'll be obtaining a fair share of the profit. On the other hand by creating artwork based on their stuff for "Free" that's another debatable idea? Then you start to think "Society isn't it wonderful?" it makes you ponder on that idea for a great length of time doesn't it.

I think slightly differently about this.

You can not practice combat movements and you can not set up a "opposition force" (where other terrorist pretend to be police so that the "main force" can train in picking "priority targets") in a movie. If you watched a movie 100 times, would you be able to navigate these setting? Would you be able to know about the little hiding hole that is tucked away in the back? CS-Map, if detailed enough, you would know how best to do everything. You can attack from different locations (unlike a movie that is static), learn from your tactical errors and become much more proficient in the attack.

Inside a game map, you can do all these trainings and much more. This is also, part of, the reason why many military and government structures have a no photography rule, so that you can not create a training simulations.

Remember, SEAL TEAM 6 did the exact same thing to train for the "Bin Laden" raid. Only they had more money and resources, so they just built the structures to practice their assaults in.

 

[oktalist]

How can you stop someone from using that?

Because most people don't pay attention when governments invent stupid rules about abstract concepts (e.g. copyright).

 

[Zauxst]

What I want to know is if there would have been a lawsuit threatened if this was a movie. Same exact context with terrorists, but a movie instead of a video game.

Probably not, as the producers of said movie would shell out quite a bit of cash to use the location.

That's probably a way to put it into perspective, really. "You're going to pay us to use it in a movie? Sure! Go right ahead. You're going to create free content based around our stuff and we're not going to see a penny of it? LAWSUIT!"

The author doesn't have a point... Terrorirsts all look like arabs and always wear arabs cloths same as Ben Ladder and you can do citizen arrest if you see them on the street when suirving the public streets...

I mean come on... You can see them all the time... Like always... So this map is a public threat...


*Just in case nobody realised, I am sarcastic and I totally agree with the author, I hope they cannot do shit to him, cause what he's doing is just art... (Map sucks anyway, but it's nice to start having real life locations).