LAN Parties: Copyright Conundrum

The entertainment industry continues its crusade to stifle digital piracy, but for the video game players, the war on theft has left the hardest of hardcore players in the murky grey legal waters.

A college student at Bowling Green University has run into trouble while trying to set up a LAN party, after the university refused to let him schedule the event over fears it may violate copyright laws.

I was casually informed that I had to secure permission from the copyright holders for the games we would be playing. I was quite confused as to why they needed this, and their only answer was that it would be considered a 'public showing of copyrighted work', and therefore I must secure permission. I asked a lawyer about the policy and his best advice was to get a hard copy of their policy and then comply to the bare minimum. The University was unable to provide much hardcopy, but largely referred me to the University rule that all State and Federal laws were in effect.

LAN parties are a fundamental part of the gaming experience. At the largest LANs, thousands of people travel from around the globe in order to hook their computers up against the best players and then duke it our for supremacy. Developers have long encouraged these events because it helps build and maintain the vibrant community needed for long-term success of a game.

Now, it seems, the continued assault on those who illegally share files through peer-to-peer programs has put everyone on tenterhooks. This means that those who put these events on, often with their own money and without expecting a profit, will face yet another hurdle in developing their communities, and gaming companies may suffer as a resuld.