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General discussion (archive)The Witcher 2: update of our Geo-IP policy(282 posts)(282 posts)
(282 posts)
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Posted December 23, 2011
GOG.com Implements Court-Required Changes; Uses Geo-IP to Determine Location for Witcher 2 Purchases

If you’ve been paying attention to news about the CD Projekt RED group, you’ve possibly heard that a French court made a judgement about a few things that were in dispute between CD Projekt RED and Namco Bandai Partners. Most of the decision doesn’t influence GOG.com, but one of the rulings from the court does: according to the findings of the court, the method that we have been using to determine what location a game purchaser is located at when they buy a copy of [url=http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/the_witcher_2]The Witcher 2 (and, as such, what version and price they are presented with) needs to be changed.

GOG.com has stated for a long time now that we believe that the best security is asking only for the minimum of information that we need to successfully transact business with our customers. Our opinion is still that including things like determining your location via Geo-IP, because there are several possible flaws with that system. However, in order to keep selling The Witcher 2, we will need to implement a Geo-IP based system for determining your location, per the orders of the court.

We will be implementing this system immediately; you will see that your local currency’s price is now featured on the product page when you visit it, based on your IP address. Since we've already announced the price for this game would be the same flat price everywhere during the Holiday Sale (which ends on January 2nd, 2012, at 23:59 EST Time), we’re not going to change the pricing for the Witcher 2 until this sale ends.

We remain committed to user privacy and keeping your information as safe and secure as we can. Further, while your profile’s location is, by order of the court, determined via Geo-IP when you purchase a copy of The Witcher 2, you can still set your country location for the forums as you would like, and your location doesn’t matter for buying any other games on GOG.com.

If you have already purchased your copy of the Witcher 2, we won’t be changing anything on your already-bought copy, just as if you had a boxed copy on a physical shelf instead of a virtual box on your GOG.com shelf.

If you have any questions about this, please feel free to ask it the comments below, or (if you’re a journalist) drop us an email and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Posted December 23, 2011
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sheldonh: Shelves? What are these shelves of which you speak?
Something CD Projekt should have rendered themselves blissfully ignorant of the moment they conceived of GOG. :/
Posted December 23, 2011
How in the world can a French court infringe on the economic freedom of businesses and individuals outside of France?

Let France destroy itself.
Posted December 23, 2011
I'm guessing the situation is a little something like this: Namco's contract with CD Projekt had a clause that stated Namco can decide the pricing method. CD Projekt breached the contract multiple times. Namco sues CD Projekt for breach of contract. The court forces CD Projekt to uphold the contract. This is the result.

This is most likely a special case only related to the Witcher 2. Every other game has a separate contract that probably lets CD Projekt decide the pricing method. My .02 with limited legal knowledge.

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TheOperaGhost: How in the world can a French court infringe on the economic freedom of businesses and individuals outside of France?

Let France destroy itself.
If a business wants to conduct operations in a country, they have to abide by the rules of said country.
Post edited December 23, 2011 by Whiteblade999
Posted December 23, 2011
You people want to boycott someone? Boycott Namco Bandai.
I started the moment I heard about the results of this lawsuit.

Companies like Namco Bandai and others like them continue to remodel the game industry into a corporate scheme that screws every gamer as much as possible while gaining them the most profit. They feel that gamers are idiots who will buy whatever they sell regardless of their tactics. If we look at MW sales then maybe they are right. They will whore an IP until we are sick of it and then find the latest trend, buy it, sue to control it, and then whore that next.

One of the few that brought us a breath of fresh air was GOG (CD Projekt). Please realize that this is a court forced decision that they were fighting against. They tried but in the end the larger corporate interest always wins. Boycott who you must but check the facts before you do.
Posted December 23, 2011
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jeffreydean1: CDProjekt created and owns GOG. They consistently refer to The Witcher as their game even on the GOG forums.

CDProjekt is sending out these extortion letters. Boycotting GOG due to CDProjekt's despicable actions makes all the sense in the world.
Let me break it down for you: CD Projekt is a video games distribution company from Poland. They sell boxed copies of games and movies. Founders of this company created CD Projekt RED Studio (that developed The Witcher games) and the same founders also created GOG later on. However both GOG and company responsible for The Witcher series are two separate entities and neither owns the other one. You're confused because both holding company and company behind The Witcher shares the name CD Projekt.)

So once again - would you boycott GOG because it is owned by the same company that owns CD Projekt RED Studio?
Posted December 23, 2011
Darn, this is bad for business :(

From what I see, I´m interpreting this situation in this way: other companies doesn´t like GOG´s no-DRM policy (possibly even all the other things, that make them special), so they are trying to supress it, am I right?

Well, since FrenchMonk already stated official opinion on this matter, and in my opinion, good one, I can say only one think:

Thank you for fighting for us (customers), I will remain loyal to you, GOG, hope the fight will go in a good direction (no Geo-IP).

It sounds cheesy, but it´s true.


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Whiteblade999: I'm guessing the situation is a little something like this: Namco's contract with CD Projekt had a clause that stated Namco can decide the pricing method. CD Projekt breached the contract multiple times. Namco sues CD Projekt for breach of contract. The court forces CD Projekt to uphold the contract. This is the result.

This is most likely a special case only related to the Witcher 2. Every other game has a separate contract that probably lets CD Projekt decide the pricing method. My .02 with limited legal knowledge.

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TheOperaGhost: How in the world can a French court infringe on the economic freedom of businesses and individuals outside of France?

Let France destroy itself.
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Whiteblade999: If a business wants to conduct operations in a country, they have to abide by the rules of said country.
Posted December 23, 2011
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jeffreydean1: CDProjekt created and owns GOG. They consistently refer to The Witcher as their game even on the GOG forums.

CDProjekt is sending out these extortion letters. Boycotting GOG due to CDProjekt's despicable actions makes all the sense in the world.
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d2t: Let me break it down for you: CD Projekt is a video games distribution company from Poland. They sell boxed copies of games and movies. Founders of this company created CD Projekt RED Studio (that developed The Witcher games) and the same founders also created GOG later on. However both GOG and company responsible for The Witcher series are two separate entities and neither owns the other one. You're confused because both holding company and company behind The Witcher shares the name CD Projekt.)

So once again - would you boycott GOG because it is owned by the same company that owns CD Projekt RED Studio?
Im beginning to think that you're being purposefully obtuse.

You speak as though Cd Projekt the parent company is completely divorced from GOG and Cd Projekt Red. If Cd Projekt Red has been allowed by their parent company to move forward with this blackmail and extortion, than it stands to reason that the parent company approves of it. Perhaps even suggested it.

By your logic, a company can get away with anything they want by forming a child company to do the nasty stuff and throwing up their hands at the backlash and pointing at the other company. It's BS and you know it. Were you one of those people defending Bethesda for suing Mojang just because it was Bethesda's parent company and not the developer themselves? Madness.

You ARE who you associate and do business with. That's life. That's reality.

Cd Projekt, Cd Projekt Red, and GOG are all in the same boat. They are separated by legal channels but everything they do is integrated with each other. They are all inextricably tied together in a working relationship under the same umbrella.

People boycott and companies close business relations with other companies due to associations all the time. People and businesses stop doing business with companies due to their advertisers or due to statements that other companies under their umbrella made.

When you associate and do business closely and publicly with a company, expect what that company does to affect you, especailly when you're directly owned by the same parent.

If GOG came out against these actions, I'd be thrilled, but they won't because they are part of the same company that is allowing these extortions to take place.
Posted December 23, 2011
What is wrong with the prosecution of thieves?
Posted December 23, 2011
i wont buy another game from that evil company ever again..

P.S. Maciekw i hope Thief devs would sue you for using that word..
Post edited December 23, 2011 by ambient_orange
Posted December 23, 2011
This raises a question for me. How many computers am I allowed to install the Witcher 2 on exactly?

I have it currently installed at home and at a co-owned pc at my brothers cabin. Now, he doesn´t play the game (he has only tried it with a save file of his own) but he owns the DSL which the pc is connected to the internet with. How does Geo-IP possibly mark us as pirates?

Edit: The version is bought from Gog.com btw, although I have also bought it from Steam.
Post edited December 23, 2011 by paltrude
Posted December 23, 2011
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Maciekw: What is wrong with the prosecution of thieves?
1) It's not prosecution, it's off the books extortion: A threat. There is a HUGE difference.

2) This method has been proven NUMEROUS times to target innocent people during the 2000's when the RIAA and MPAA used these exact same tactics. An IP address does not equal a person.
Posted December 23, 2011
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paltrude: This raises a question for me. How many computers am I allowed to install the Witcher 2 on exactly?

I have it currently installed at home and at a co-owned pc at my brothers cabin. Now, he doesn´t play the game (he has only tried it with a save file of his own) but he owns the DSL which the pc is connected to the internet with. How does Geo-IP possibly mark us as pirates?

Edit: The version is bought from Gog.com btw, although I have also bought it from Steam.
You can install GOG games on as many computers as you wish.

and geo-IP doesn't mark anyone as pirates, it simply says something about where in the world you are located.
Posted December 23, 2011
@ jeffreydean1

It would not be pirates, would not be DRM. For thieves I have no respect. If you get a request for payment and pay, I mean, that having something on his conscience, maybe only that instead of downloading The Witcher other games or movies. Let them pay.
And if someone is really not guilty, let them sleep peacefully. This court has to prove him guilty, not vice versa.

Sorry for my english.
Post edited December 23, 2011 by Maciekw
Posted December 23, 2011
If any would like to discuss the whole Witcher 2 pirate hunt this is a thread dedicated to that here:
http://www.gog.com/en/forum/general/cd_projekt_red_goes_after_file_sharers_riaa_mpaa_style
There are numerous of pages of discussion on the issue for your enjoyment. ;-)
Posted December 23, 2011
So some idiot here is boycotting GOG because CD Projekt Red is finally taking piracy to task and not troubling those of us who just want to play the Witcher 2 within legal means. LOL, why don't you take your business to a classy place like Origin?
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General discussion (archive)The Witcher 2: update of our Geo-IP policy(282 posts)(282 posts)
(282 posts)