changing names

[jkm]

i would think you fall within the parody fair use laws with that name - half of my characters are the same way. one of my daughters favorite bands, relient k, makes a living off of parodying slogans and copyrights.

Although a parody can be considered a derivative work under United States Copyright Law, it can be protected under the fair use doctrine, which is codified in 17 USC § 107. The Supreme Court of the United States stated that parody "is the use of some elements of a prior author's composition to create a new one that, at least in part, comments on that author's works." That commentary function provides some justification for use of the older work. See Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.

In 2001, the United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, in Suntrust v. Houghton Mifflin, upheld the right of Alice Randall to publish a parody of Gone with the Wind called The Wind Done Gone, which told the same story from the point of view of Scarlett O'Hara's slaves, who were glad to be rid of her.

[Cap_Man]

That's pretty heavy handed of Turbine .. and quite a stretch. Look up Zzod in Google and you will see it used as gamer names in other games like eq, Battlefield etc. Now look up Quarion, might be some copyright issues with a musician there, what do you think?

[Altarboy]

I also had a reported name after a year...but, in all fairness I deserved it.
I just think in all matters they tend to be very heavy handed. They have a knee jerk response to every inquiry "ban"... "rename" I had a couple of friends banned for a month for really weak reasons. I know there is a "code of conduct"if they keep adding up "infraction points" and banning people. Changing the name of their favorite toon etc... there will be nobody left to play. I just think there are better ways to handle ALL of this stuff ie. profanity filters(so they dont have to worry about language by playing mommy for us) The tokens would be a great idea for a name change even if they are a little over zealous in that respect. Just my 2 coppers

[lenric]

So I just sent DC comics an email asking if I could have permission to use the likeness of Zod, in my name for my sorceror. If they agree then what do I do? who do i contact?

Luckylu

Did you tell DC comics that you would be spelling it Zzod or if you get permission are you going for straight Zod?

[Luckylu]

I told them Zzod but yeah if they let me call him Zod I will.

[paul1devries]

I like your new name better: "Flamefromabove"

It is catchy - so much easier to type into a "tell" than Zzod

Also it works well when you are creating havoc with your uber "cone of cold......"

[ccheath776]

Ok so I will get people who disagree and agree with me on this one, but I must say it. Thursday night I logged into the game after taking a couple hours off and BAMN my lvl 14 Sorc was not in my list.. i start to worry a little bit, knowing that ddo has constant bugs, and what do i find? I find my 32 point- lvl 14 sorc that i have had for nearly a year now with a new name.. the name of RENAMEDZZ was his name. I log in, and talk to a few friends I had online about it.. they said to type /changename and ofcourse THAT doesnt' work!!! why becuase I guess there was some infringement on a 3rd rate dc character with a similar name. Again, I have had him for nearly a year. So I contact a DM and wait about 25min. The anger swells up as it would for anyone who has been playing that long with a character you have come to love. When the DM contacts me he is very blunt that they do not have to give any reasons or explanations to my name change just that it is an infringement, and that I had to choose a new name then. I asked if I could have a token things so I could change my name when I was ready, like the /changename thing gives you. NO, I have to decide now, and again.. what do you rename yourself after having the character for a year??????
I understand that they have infringements, and all the rest and whatever though we have all seen others out there with BLATENT names, but I would not turn them in as someone has turned me in I guess. But a little courtasy to people with such long lasting names, and they do know how long we have had characters. Thank you I just wanted to air my upsetness.

Luckylu

What the heck is wrong with ZZod or Zod??

Did someone see the name and become so outraged they reported it.

[muffinlad]

What was your full name, i.e. was it

Zzod Jones
Zzod Kent
Zzod Dozz

Etc. etc.

[ccheath776]

So I just sent DC comics an email asking if I could have permission to use the likeness of Zod, in my name for my sorceror. If they agree then what do I do? who do i contact?

Luckylu

If you get permission contact support using the game support link at the top.
Or post in the ingame service forum.

It is quite amazing that someone reported it in the first place.
I have a copyrighted name Terah which is the name of the main character in the novel I wrote. I have seen someone walking around with that name.
Did I report them, NO. I simply named my Character Terrah instead.
Could I have reported them, you betchya but what satisfaction would I have had?
To me its free advertising spread that name around and the more people know it the more people will know it.

Why someone felt the need to go out and report it is beyond me. Thats a bit too much power to have.

[Pfamily]

Game support should be thrashed soundly for being so draconian in the method they used to force you to rename your character.

If there was a real naming issue, the responsible and respectful thing to do would have been to contact you, explain the problem, and insist on a change in a reasonable amount of time. You may still have been upset about it, as I would be, but at least they would have treated you as an honored customer rather than a peon.

Turbine have the responsibility to see that the game is conducted in an honest and legal manner. They also have a responsibility to the paying player-base to act in a reasonable and respectful manner in dealing with all game issues. They demand we be responsible and forthright in-game and in these forums, they should hold themselves to the same standard.

As it was, Zzod was ridden out of town on a rail without so much as a "how do you do".

Total bovine-excrement I say. Pink-pony forum skins for the lot of them!

[Strakeln]

Another option could be you beat down someone in PvP, and they decided to report you as a final revenge.

Waaaaaaaay too common. There are a few people (I'm sure we can all think of at least one) that indisputably abuse the reporting system. Typically this takes the form of "you picked on me, so I'm going to report your name despite the fact that I have absolutely no problems or concerns with it."

What really tickles my funny bone is the completely innocent "why does no one like me" yapping from people that behave like this. Gee, I dunno, maybe because you are acting like a five year old child?

[Luckylu]

lets face it, they screwed me out of my name, due to someone turning me in.... and said it was too close to someone elses name, though my Zzod is not ZOD, and yet TURBINE HAS MENTAU THE FLESHMAKER??? come on!!! [eaten by cube]

[muffinlad]

I will ask again, what was your full name?

To clairify-

A) I would not turn you in, based on Zzod
B) I did not turn you in, and would not unless your name was $@#@^ the ^%#$er of Ugly &8($. (not a real name)
C) I am curious to what your full name was.

It may be that your name, in it's entire phrasing, may have constituted a trademark violation, or could have in Turbines view, and their name MENTAU THE FLESHMAKER, a parody, does not. They might be willing to defend their use of Mentau, and not defend your name. Their dime.

If you really feel this is a game breaker for you, time to look for a new game, however I hope you find it interesting enough to come back.

Regs,

muffinel

[Luckylu]

the name was Zzod Kneel before me

a similar quote but not word for word from a movie from the 70's. so 30 some years later, a similar quote is now owned by whom? Enough for Turbine to force me to change my name, give me 5 min to do it, and not let me even have the letters in my new name at all. I am just saying that similiar is one thing, i have seen my share of superhero names, movie characters names, swearwords hidden in names. Turbine just has a poor policy of taking care of situations. Whatever I have to change my name.... a person playing this game for nearly the entire time it has existed adn that character being around a year, will no regard or care for the custemor is what I find disgraceful of Turbine.

To Turbine(though they probably will never read this)
You recently reduced servers, while other rpg online games have expanded their server numbers, protect your interests from DC comics all you want, I am sure they would have fined you over my name and no one elses. Lets keep the customers you have.

[Truegood]

Sorry to hear you got name wacked by turbine now I will know who to look for when I am in the tavern brawls

Thats sucks!!!! You think it might be the Kneel before me part ?

[Staedtler]

The renaming is heavy handed, but I understand the reasons for it completely.
When names are changed it's almost exclusively because of a violation of the ToS. Giving a person a rename token and hoping they pick a new, ToS appropriate name doesn't really solve the issue -- they've already shown that they'll ignore the ToS. Having a GM converse with a person while they try to sort out a rename is a poor allocation of resources. GMs would have better time spent responding to quest issues, etc. (after all, how many people complain about wait times?)

This sort of thing sucks when it happens. Only thing you can do is not get attached to your character name if you know it violates the ToS. Be thankful every day you keep the name and when the big day comes and you show up as RENAMEDXX, take it with grace.

[kingzero]

You are looking at Zzod, which is similar to Zod a character from Superman which is held in copyright all character names by DC along with their disambiguation.

Kneel Before Me is not only trademarked, it is copyrighted and is also considered to be a black name. (think before Pee-Wee Herman and the theater)

It boils down to Turbine not willing to stick their neck out for you..regardless of your $15 a month. It wont cover 30 seconds of the legal cost if someone from DC where to complain. Simple as that.

[Luckylu]

too bad what you said isn't true. I looked it up and there is like 40websites or more dedicated to ZOD, and his phrase Kneel before me, for presidant or whatever else they have and at the bottom.... there is nothing from DC, or Warner Brothers, so you really think that they are going to come after Turbine for one character when they have all this to deal with? Lets face it, it was not a big deal.. so lets just handle things better turbine, someone names themselves, a superhero name, a character from a book, movie, tv-show, change there name if some idiot really wants to turn them in. Change it to RENAMEDZZ and then give them a token so they can change it. Yeah get the DM's out there fixing the errors that really are bad, like people getting stuck in gianthold and having to /death and take debt cuase they are 10feet from the inn, but no one can help them. Fix the new Raid so people will actually go into it. Stop all the rediculas mail from plat farmers, lets think about what is important in this game, like decline in servers, when will the new monk class or more come out??? or we could be jerks to our existing customers and say you have 5min to pick a new name and that is it. Stop defending Turbine about this, and encourage them to get out there and make all of us happy with new updates and more classes which will inspire more people to play and to return instead of only saying, yeah i had a really cool character for a year and turbine took my name cuase he had the same name as a 70's super-villian.

Luckylu

[muffinlad]

Lucky,

Not cause and effect. The people who are responsible for making you change your name are not the people responsible for getting new classes out, etc. Putting those people on to development would do nothing. Their job (part of it) is to make sure people are not violating trademarks, and your name, in TURBINES opinion, seemed to have done so. Further, because just because others may be violating a trademark is no reason not to act and Turbine, as a Trademark holder, and a legal entity, responsible business community member (etc. etc.) is obligated to have some enforcement policy regarding this, and show swift action when such violations occur. While you may be able to claim that the Trademark has been abandoned due to lack of protection and enforcement, I doubt Turbine is going to do that for you.

All those other issues you mention, they are real, but have zero to do with your issue, or why Turbine acted as it did.

Turbine is would seem to me highly unlikely that Turbine is going to relent in this decision, but I can understand your frustration at having your name changed in the manner you did, and the seeming "Random" justice you recieved.

In the end, are you going to keep playing, or are you going to quit, over this decision?

Regards

muffinptonian

[Altarboy]

I will ask again, what was your full name?

To clairify-

A) I would not turn you in, based on Zzod
B) I did not turn you in, and would not unless your name was $@#@^ the ^%#$er of Ugly &8($. (not a real name)
C) I am curious to what your full name was.

It may be that your name, in it's entire phrasing, may have constituted a trademark violation, or could have in Turbines view, and their name MENTAU THE FLESHMAKER, a parody, does not. They might be willing to defend their use of Mentau, and not defend your name. Their dime.

If you really feel this is a game breaker for you, time to look for a new game, however I hope you find it interesting enough to come back.

Regs,

muffinel

Aside from the whole reportie thing that seems rampant on this server
(you little tattle tales should be ashamed of yourselves)).
The name would be covered under the same parody clause as Turbines use. What about god names like Thor and such....was also a comic book hero. I hate to sound like a broken record but, if they just implimented a filter all these problems go away and, all you little report-a-holics will have to find new jobs.. like mall security!