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The Problem With Banning Accounts

Tocosamuri·1/5/2015, 8:27:04 PM·2 votes·1,815 views

This is a game where people spend money, on skins, which can only be used on that account. The second you permaban that account, you owe that person all that money back. That's theft otherwise. If someone has an account that they have sunk $300 into over time, they aren't going to be to happy when they get banned and have now 0 access to any of that at all. Riot will find themselves in legal trouble before they know it. Everyone who plays this game is a consumer, consumers have rights too. Riot seems to have this warped view that the players are not consumers. If I was to play Cod or Halo, I could be the biggest asshole on the planet and ruin the game for all other people and they couldn't do anything about it, why? Because I bought it. I paid for that. I am a consumer. Riot seems to think they are some sort of company sent from God. When I pay for a skin on league, I expect to use it as long as I please, I paid for it. You ban my account? Okay so you just stole all those skins from me, not to mention possible money spent on IP boosts etc.

25 Comments

single eboy1/5/2015, 8:31:55 PM7 votes

Actually, all the permabans are easily avoided so I don't see your point. If they don't want to lose their skins (= money) they could start by improving their behaviour in-game. Not that hard, either! :)

TeemoJenkins1/5/2015, 8:32:25 PM4 votes

Sir - I encourage you to read the End User License Agreement. They don't owe anyone refunds. It's not theft, as you agreed to it. It's their Digital and intellectual property, you're paying for the right to use it so long as they allow it.

Jubbinaut1/5/2015, 9:13:17 PM4 votes

There's a problem with your argument, here.

You do not own anything you "purchased" for your account. Legally speaking, all you paid for was a license to use the digital goods. These licenses require that your account be in good standing. Keeping your account in good standing is your responsibility. From Part 4, Section B, Paragraph 1 of the Terms of Use:

B. Game Assets, Riot Points and Virtual Items. When using the Game, you may accumulate in-Game assets associated with your Account, including, without limitation, objects, artifacts, currency, items, equipment, and/or other value or status indicators (“Game Assets”) that reside on servers operated by Riot Games as data. You acknowledge and agree that such Game Assets are accumulated as part of your Account and therefore you shall have no ownership or other property interest in any of those Game Assets.

From Paragraph 4 of the same section:

YOU FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THE RIOT POINTS SYSTEM AND THE VIRTUAL ITEMS YOU ACQUIRE HAVE NO MONETARY VALUE AND CANNOT BE REDEEMED FOR CASH. NO REFUNDS WILL BE MADE FOR THE PURCHASE OF RIOT POINTS OR FOR VIRTUAL ITEMS OBTAINED USING RIOT POINTS.

And from Paragraph 6:

NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY HEREIN, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU SHALL HAVE NO OWNERSHIP OR OTHER PROPERTY INTEREST IN YOUR ACCOUNT, AND YOU FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT ALL RIGHTS IN AND TO THE ACCOUNT ARE AND SHALL FOREVER BE OWNED BY AND INURE TO THE BENEFIT OF RIOT GAMES. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO CLAIM, RIGHT, TITLE, OWNERSHIP OR OTHER PROPRIETARY INTEREST IN THE GAME ASSETS, VIRTUAL ITEMS OR RIOT POINTS THAT YOU ACQUIRE, REGARDLESS OF THE CONSIDERATION OFFERED OR PAID IN EXCHANGE FOR RIOT POINTS OR VIRTUAL ITEMS.

To summarize those: Every time you agree to the ToU, you agree that a) you do not own the digital goods that you may purchase with Riot Points, and b) they have no monetary value in the first place.

This is all in addition to agreeing that Riot can choose to sanction your account at their sole discretion.

They can't be "stealing" from you, because they already own everything. And even if they did, they don't owe you anything, because it has no cash value.

So how can I argue that this is "right"? Because you agreed to it. You said, "Yes, I accept that this is how you handle things."

And if you didn't know, because you didn't read it? That's on you.

ImHerVoice1/5/2015, 8:28:46 PM3 votes

Actually. You're wrong. And you're legally wrong as well. The most you can do is chargeback Which btw fucks your credit card Unless you're mommies little angel. Then you fuck her credit instead of your own.

Please... Spread your over entitlement somewhere else.

Saint Millay1/5/2015, 9:01:19 PM2 votes

There is no problem with banning you, regardless of how much money you have spent on the account.

You have agreed to the Terms of Service, including:

"You further acknowledge and agree that you shall have no ownership or other property interest in your Account, and you acknowledge and agree that all rights in and to the Account are and shall forever be owned by and inure to the benefit of Riot Games."

"This License Agreement is effective until terminated. You may terminate this License Agreement at any time by notifying Riot Games of your intention terminate. Riot Games may terminate this License Agreement at any time, for any reason or no reason. Upon termination, whether by you or Riot Games, the license granted to you in Section I shall immediately terminate, and you must immediately and permanently remove the Software from your computer’s permanent memory and destroy any and all copies of the Software that may be in your possession. "

"You also agree that Riot Games may change, modify, suspend, “nerf,” discontinue, or restrict your access to any features or parts of the Game at any time without notice or liability to you. You acknowledge that you have no interest, monetary or otherwise, in any feature of or content in the Software or the Game. "

You could hire an attorney and attempt to challenge the Terms of Service. Click Thru agreements are typically enforceable in the US. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickwrap#Legal_consequences_in_the_United_States)

However, if you were really gung-ho you have the legal right to challenge the TOS. This would require submitting yourself to binding arbitration. The cost of which would surely outstrip the value of your account.

Even if you won your case (highly unlikely), your recovery would be capped at the amount you had spent in the 6 months prior to the event that instigated the lawsuit. (Your banning.)

Best case scenario -- (also extremely unlikely) -- after probably a year or two of legal proceedings you win in Arbitration. You recover your attorney's fees and the amount you spent on your account in the 6 months prior to your banning. To do this, you have spent a large amount of time and money. (Although you will recover most of the attorney's fees, you still had to lay out that cash up front.) So you net the last 6 months of money you spent on your account. (Maybe a couple hundred dollars?)

If you lose -- the more likely scenario -- you would likely be on the hook for Riot's attorney's fees as well as those of your own counsel. (Probably close to $100k.)

Unless you're an eccentric billionaire with time and money to burn it makes no sense to pursue the case.

Stephenizgod1/5/2015, 9:02:41 PM1 votes

lol troll posts are funny when you read the comments, so many people taking this seriously...

Yulen Xoshxius1/5/2015, 8:31:24 PM1 votes

You mean like if you EARNED the ban or as in you were mistaken for earning a permaban? I do agree instead of a permaban they should just make a LONG ban though. I do believe eventually people grow up from being bad enough to earning a ban, or that they will be able to avoid being mistaken for being so terrible in the future.