How come some servers are still running, even though they are illegal?

[Protheus 0]

Hello,

I have been reading this forum a lot and noticed some articles about Metin2 private servers and about them being illegal, which is a well known fact. But I do not really understand how is it possible for some huge servers being still online after so many years.

Good example is M2 Sindicate, renamed to Ekura. It is a Czechoslovakian server with even more players than czechoslovakian official server and it has already been running for I guess about 11 years and its still alive.

I even noticed some of the articles on their forums, it was about them not having Gameforge or any other license, but only stating, they are not running a Metin2 game, but only a game inspired by Metin2.

After a years of playing on their server, I can say their game is not really rewritten from scratch as there are bugs from official servers, old Metin2 design, Metin2 item/mob/maps names and etc… If you take a look at it, you will only notice a few new maps, a few new quests and new game ideas, but its obvious its Metin2, no matter whatever they call it. They only renamed M2, Metin2, Mt2 words to something else - is that really enough?

How can a huge server like Ekura.cz run for that long without a license?

Their statement about license (you may need to translate it from Czech)

https://www.ekura.cz/forum/viewtopic.php?t=123153

 

Can anybody of you explain this?

[Karbust 4733]

If you know how to manage your server and how and where to host it, and most importantly, if you pay your taxes on it, GF and Webzen can't do anything, there are many companies that don't care about DMCA requests, and if your identity isn't leaked, there isn't anything GF can do against you legally, they don't know who you are.

[Protheus 0]

But they can find my identity as long as I pay for the server, bank account and etc if I am not wrong.

How do I find if a hosting company does not care about DMCA?

[Karbust 4733]

6 minutes ago, Protheus said:

But they can find my identity as long as I pay for the server, bank account and etc if I am not wrong.

How do I find if a hosting company does not care about DMCA?

Many hosts allow payments through cryptocurrency, mainly the ones that don't care about DMCA.

For non-DMCA compliant hosts I'm not the best to answer, but I will leave this image here that I have found on some tor forum a while ago:

Edited August 26, 2022 by Metin2 Dev
Core X - External 2 Internal

[Filachilla 28]

1. First of all you lying. „ It is a Czechoslovakian server with even more players than czechoslovakian official server“ This is definitely not true. Why are you trying to make the topic more interesting than it is? This is the first answer, nobody cares about a one little Czech server.

2. Ekura's management deliberately lies from the beginning of the server, but apparently it works.

3. Nobody talks about them, they are not active on their Facebook page. If you didn't start this topic, 90% of the forums don't know what Ekura is.

4. They do not use any registered metin2 brands (metin2, metin, gameforge, ymir, etc..)

5. They have established their company through which, like most, they cover their true interests.. In that case, they don't even have tax evasion.. Which means that from a legal point of view, everything is fine. And no judge will examine your game in the courtroom or play it ..

6. As has already been said are countries where gameforge has no copyright..

Edit: I have one more thing to say. I think that's exactly where WOM infringed copyright because using METIN brands. From a human point of view, it is commendable that they did a good advertisement of metin, but from a legal point of view, they violated everything in gameforge eyes. The truth is that gameforge has very bad advertising. Have you ever seen a game from them? Their marketing is terrible. Their ads are not visible. Without the people who makes up their private servers, metin probably wouldn't even exist. And why? Because no one would hear about him .. Gameforge may struggle to save the game and defend rights, but that's what he's doing to lose far more players. 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Filachilla

[Protheus 0]

So I found out Ekura is hosted at OVH and I honestly guess they care about DMCA