The problem with RMT in general has to do with what is called
copyright law. The same applies to bot programs used extensively and secretly in this game. I've reported both RMT players and botters to both GMs and the PlayOnline email on their support page many times. I have also reported websites like
www.ffxiapp.com and four other websites to PlayOnline asking them [SquareEnix] to do something about it. In the two plus years I have done this, nothing has been done to stop them or significantly lower the amount of cheaters and RMT players in this game. It's as if SquareEnix has done very little about it. The thousands of players they've banned, the adjustments to the delivery box, the taxes to Auction House and Bazaars, and the adjustments to drop rates and pop times of NMs and HNMs have done so very little to discourage or eliminate RMT and botters alike. Although SE listens, or supposedly does, to our complaints, it just seems that we are not getting through to them in the nearly four years this game has been out.
Of all the emails and GM calls I've done, I have recieved only
one email regarding RMT players through PlayOnline email. It's where I learned about the situation with copyright law is causing the headaches with their legal department in SE. They told me that "their legal department is handling it."
I'll explain.
The code to this software and the PlayOnline software and service plus other softwares using this service-- are protected under US and foreign copyright and trademark laws and international treaties as stated in the FFXI Software License Agreement, Article 2, Section 2 of the manual. It is also the ownership of SEUI-- Square Enix USA, Inc. However, in Japan, as stated on Wikipedia.com, it states that
"Japanese copyright law protects all works 'in which thoughts or sentiments are expressed in a creative way, and which falls within the literary, scientific, artistic or musical domain'. Software is not covered and is considered an
exception. In other words, "software can be reproduced for personal use." The game, FFXI, and the software PlayOnline and its services originated from Japan, but are under no protection by the Japanese government. They are, however, protected under foreign laws from the United States to Europe and to China, itself.
However, outside of Japan, that is where this question arise:
Who owns the armors, weapons, items, Gil, and characters? The player or the company, Square Enix?
The manual is not entirely clear. It only states that sole ownership is that of SEUI, Square Enix USA, Inc. It has no mention of the parent company, Square Enix in Japan. We are given limited rights to use these items, Gil, armors, weapons, and characters-- to a certain extent. We are not allowed to sell or modify them. The whole catch to this is this: copyright law
does not cover virtual items that can be so easily transferred, bought and sold from one player to another.
Copyright laws protect the software and the service that runs with the software. The virtual items within are not mentioned under any copyright law if you look and read them-- US, Europe, and even China. With no clear ownership of virtual items in an MMORPG, it is therefore assumed we, as players, have the
right to ownership to those virtually created items.
This applies to botters and cheaters in this game. The ones who make the program for a bot that allow cheaters do what they want in this game are making programs that make
no modification to the original code. The original software code is the ownership of Square Enix. But, since FFXI is not an open source software and there are no modifications to the original code itself by these bot programs, websites like
www.ffxiapp.com continue to operate-- at the detriment of other players.
With all this, that means one thing: SquareEnix has
no legal right or any possible way to take legal action against RMT players and programmers of and players using bot programs. This is why the one who replied to me told me that "their legal department is handling it."
It therefore comes to the responsibility of the company, Square Enix, to handle this situation themselves. With no legal way to stop RMT and bot programmers, SE has to do everything they can to prevent or even significantly lessen the use of RMT and botting in this game. However, the last actions done by SE in past updates have done more harm to honest players than to the dishonest ones. The most that SE can do is to enforce
their end of the license agreement-- which they have so weakly done.
SE should make more items Rare/Ex or Ex-Only.
SE should make more NMs and even HNMs either forced pop, instanced, or BC-ed.
SE should take a much more active role in enforcing their end of the license agreement instead of acting with a
laissez-faire attitude.
SE should improvise their GM system-- either improve it or replace it altogether with a better system.
SE should listen to the players' complaints more thoroughly and diligently in every email and GM call.
SE should think and act more intelligently and actively when a player such as RMT act in a very suspicious manner towards others.
SE has failed to do their part on their end by not following many of those things above.
However, SE shouldn't be the only ones held accountable as well. The players in this game also
have the moral responsibility in this.
We, as players, should not give in to the temptations of buying and selling Gil and characters on sites like eBay and IGE.
We should not give in to the lure of using bot programs and other softwares that give us an advantage over other players, in a manner that causes a detrimental factor towards or against another player or group of players.
The players who dishonestly act and play in this game have failed the honest players in this game. They have caused us more grief and harm in the four years this game has been out. They have done nothing more than to indirectly promote the idea of Gil and character buying and selling. They have considered and lowered themselves to the point that taking the easy way out is better by the use of bot and cheat programs. They have done all this to honest players like myself and thousands of other players in this game.
With both failing factors, by Square Enix and the dishonest players, in this game, nothing will be done at all to stop RMT and cheaters alike. We can't do anything, or much of anything except complain to our heart's contents. If you want someone to blame and point a finger at, don't point at Square Enix alone, point it at the following players:
- the RMT players that managed to kill a big name HNM (like what happened to Tiamat on Carbuncle server)
- the players who buy Gil from eBay and IGE and use it to dishonestly and unsympathetically raise prices on the server (as what happened last Christmas)
- the players who have sold their characters online on eBay and sites like IGE (those who have quit the game)
- the RMT players monopolizing NMs and HNMs (like with DragonGroup LS on Bismarck at Behemoth and Ullikummi)
- the players who use bot programs to cheat and find the easy way out in this game (like with two LSes on Bismarck and many other HNMLSes on other servers)
- the players who hacked another person's account to sell their Gil and gear and character(s) for real life money
Blame them along with Square Enix, laugh and scream at them, because both have totally ruined this game with their
irresponsibility and
ignorance. Since copyright laws can't protect the virtual items and Square Enix can't do anything about it, there is very little that can be done now that can stop both RMT players and cheaters in this game. The last resort and option that hasn't been considered yet is going door-to-door to every RMT player and cheater in this game and kill them in cold-blood and commit first degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.
Of course, we're a much civilized society and wouldn't lower ourselves to do that, right?
I hope so.
The best thing we can do now is just complain to Square Enix and hope that they change their ways. At the same time, tell our friends and our fellow players not to give in to the temptation of acquiring a virtual item with real money, and vice versa. At the same time, don't lower yourself to use a bot program, even just to level Summoning Magic or a fish bot to get that Lu Shang's Rod or that warp-voke-bot program to get that Nue fang (as what happened on Bismarck server posted in the Bismarck forum).
Don't take the easy way out. Don't join the linkshell that bots at every HNM camp so their LS members get every known endgame gear imaginable (as what happened with one LS on Bismarck). Don't encourage them. All we're doing is making it worse for other players.
If we can't do any of this, we have to either suck it up or quit the game.
Unfortunately, many of us have already done the latter.
