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United States33392 Posts
This a related development in the controversy between Blizzard and KeSPA
+ Show Spoiler [Timeline] +
MBCGame to negotiate with Gretech in order to continue to broadcast the MSL
Source: etnews.co.kr
This is not a full or direct translation.
With the MBCGame survivor league set to start on the third of June, MBCGame has approached Gretech/GomTV to begin negotiations over Blizzard's intellectual property rights.
MBCGame's Director of Operations Cho Jung Hyun stated "As a broadcasting company, we can't disappoint fans of the MSL and thus we are taking measures to make sure we open the league. We will take necessary measures including negotiations to ensure the stable operations for our league."
For now, the Survivor Tournament will go on as planned. Gretech CEO Bae In Shik said "The most important thing is that they are willing to come to the table. Seeing as it's a league with an already fixed schedule, we will continue to allow them to operate even though we have not finished negotiating."
MBCGame is the first party to make a move since the Gretech-Blizzard agreement. Their actions may effect their rival OnGameNet, who have more time to contemplate their choices before the OSL begins on the 11th of this month. A source from OnGameNet stated "The issue between KeSPA and Blizzard has yet to be resolved, so we are not currently decided on a course of action. Since we have until next week to decide, we will continue to monitor the situation."
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So it looks like things are going heavily in Blizzard's favour so far.
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Good on MBC for not falling in line with Kespa. It's all about keeping the business and the sport alive, and cooperation fosters that.
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I really hope there is some integrity at the top of MBC that will shine, that it will not all be about the pride, glory and money of broadcasting Starcraft.
But that it could be the responsibility and honour of broadcasting and showing the REALLY hard work of these young men, who are most likely jeopardizing their future by being practice-partners. Long live the MSL
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Seems only a natural progression to this interesting saga. Thanks for the news.
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If this is a step towards gamers being compensated better (thus making it more of a legit profession), it's great news for e-sports. As it is I find the situation incredibly bizarre and confusing, and I can't really make sense of it.
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Good job MBCGame! Rather than trying to mindlessly become controlled by every move and actions from KeSPA, to have its ability to decide and judge the situation is a right one atm. KeSPA certainly don't own MBCGame and this is one of the possibilities to ensure MSL and e-sports to stay well and alive by taking the initiative!
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France2061 Posts
Perhaps CJ's stake in Gretech is facilitating this deal. If that's the case, things should also work out for OGN, which belongs to CJ. I expect BW to be able to continue unhindered, at least in the immediate future, unless Blizzard/GOM make impossible demands with the intent of killing the proscene to make way for SC2. It's the SC2 scene that will probably be most affected by the Blizzard-Gretech deal, not Brood War.
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United States33392 Posts
On June 03 2010 03:07 TwoToneTerran wrote:
Good on MBC for not falling in line with Kespa. It's all about keeping the business and the sport alive, and cooperation fosters that.
Well, MBCGame is just doing everything they can do on their end to make sure MSL keeps going on. KeSPA still have a good deal of control over the pro-game teams and thus the players (as seen by their ability to unofficially blacklist the old GomTV league). If MBCGame comes to a good agreement with Gretech that will be great, but it won't be the only factor in opening an intact MSL.
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United States33392 Posts
On June 03 2010 03:14 snowdrift86 wrote:
Perhaps CJ's stake in Gretech is facilitating this deal. If that's the case, things should also work out for OGN, which belongs to CJ. I expect BW to be able to continue unhindered, at least in the immediate future, unless Blizzard/GOM make impossible demands with the intent of killing the proscene to make way for SC2. It's the SC2 scene that will probably be most affected by the Blizzard-Gretech deal.
CJ have a 25% stake in gretech. While it does make them the single biggest shareholder in Gretech, Korean journalists speculate on exactly how significant it is. Officially, CJ claims they are just an investor in Gretech and have no interest in its actual operations.
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Oh blizzard , always getting what you want at any cost ^^
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I'm glad to see that this is happening, even if it is the smartest move MBC could make, they could just as easily side with KeSPA and make Blizzard seem like an evil corporation.
I feel like MBCGame has always been a great company, and is constantly trying to promote eSports, with shows like HyungJoon, aggresive advertising, the pro team, and obviously their tournament, among others. Hopefully things pan out for them and we get to see another amazing MSL next season.
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On June 03 2010 03:16 Waxangel wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 03:14 snowdrift86 wrote:
Perhaps CJ's stake in Gretech is facilitating this deal. If that's the case, things should also work out for OGN, which belongs to CJ. I expect BW to be able to continue unhindered, at least in the immediate future, unless Blizzard/GOM make impossible demands with the intent of killing the proscene to make way for SC2. It's the SC2 scene that will probably be most affected by the Blizzard-Gretech deal. CJ have a 25% stake in gretech. While it does make them the single biggest shareholder in Gretech, Korean journalists speculate on exactly how significant it is. Officially, CJ claims they are just an investor in Gretech and have no interest in its actual operations.
And with the whole new issue with GOM/Gretech officially and legally holds broadcasting rights and Blizzard's IPs, that may change in due time with CJ influencing Gretech directly and indirectly. If CJ really do have that much shares and are the single biggest shareholder, then they also have the power to somewhat control the actions and operations made by the corporations because of the power CJ has with just shares. In fact, if you see some Korean dramas that always mention corporations and companies with families having shares, I believe if you and your partners/companions/side have the majority of shares in a corporation, you can easily influence and pick a new CEO and lead the direction of that company.
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*Edit* Double post that was accidental... it was suppose to be edit for other post and not quote... sorry!~ T_T
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oh wow, so much for kespa already lost one half of their broadcast advantage, they are done for.
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I hope the make public how much GomTV asks, and for how long...
I wouldn't be surprised if they only give permission for a few months, maintaining the possibility of suddenly shutting down BW.
Don't forget that Blizzard asked in their contracts 100% control over the company.
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no power outages, no blizzards, what could possibly go wrong?
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why would they want to shutdown bw? they are making money with it dude...
im happy that mbc already started negotiating. i bet OGn will follow sooner or later and esport in korea will go on as usual 
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Well, looks like the beginning of the end of the BW scene in Korea as we know it.
*sobs uncontrollably*
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On June 03 2010 03:33 TRAP[yoo] wrote:
why would they want to shutdown bw? they are making money with it dude...
It depends. How much do you think they're going to pay?
Shutting down BW subtly (by demanding a high fee, but setting a NDA so they cannot say how high it is) would increase SC2 sales almost for sure. And a moderate increase of SC2's sales is a lot more profitable for Activision Blizzard both in the short and the long run.
They can ask a ton of money for BW and a small fee for SC2 (which will increase afterwards), so they make SC2 more profitable and force the switch.
I'm pretty sure that's what Kotik would do/think.
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Katowice25012 Posts
This is such a fun trainwreck to watch. Thanks for the translation.
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On June 03 2010 03:34 Hier wrote:
Well, looks like the beginning of the end of the BW scene in Korea as we know it.
*sobs uncontrollably*
Don't really see why it would gotta wait and see how this develops.
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I really hope they allow the companies to run without major fees, but put in large incentives to have an SC2 league as well.
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Korea (South)922 Posts
it seems to me that blizzard doesn't care if sc1 dies due to sc2 and is willing to milk it until it does die. greedy punks.
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I hope nothing wrong will happen
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On June 03 2010 03:40 Mylin wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 03:34 Hier wrote:
Well, looks like the beginning of the end of the BW scene in Korea as we know it.
*sobs uncontrollably* Don't really see why it would gotta wait and see how this develops.
From where I am looking, a future where BW is as big in eSports as it is now is slowly shrinking on the horizon.
One only has to consider people's intentions, reasons, motivations, goals, and potential benefits resulting from their actions.
MBC simply has no choice at this point. Either shoot itself or eat a very slow acting poison.
I sincerely hope I am wrong, though.
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MBC is doing the right thing. If KeSPA gets shut down, great, they already have the rights to broadcast. If KeSPA wins, that's fine, business as usual. The broadcasting stations care more about the fans than Blizzard or KeSPA, though their livelihoods are tied to StarCraft doing well anyway.
If Blizzard shuts down SC1 scene in Korea, I can potentially see a boycott movement. I'm sure they don't want that. How are the Koreans seeing Blizzard, anyway?
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France2061 Posts
On June 03 2010 03:16 Waxangel wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 03:14 snowdrift86 wrote:
Perhaps CJ's stake in Gretech is facilitating this deal. If that's the case, things should also work out for OGN, which belongs to CJ. I expect BW to be able to continue unhindered, at least in the immediate future, unless Blizzard/GOM make impossible demands with the intent of killing the proscene to make way for SC2. It's the SC2 scene that will probably be most affected by the Blizzard-Gretech deal. CJ have a 25% stake in gretech. While it does make them the single biggest shareholder in Gretech, Korean journalists speculate on exactly how significant it is. Officially, CJ claims they are just an investor in Gretech and have no interest in its actual operations.
Well CJ and Gretech are already partners in other ventures, here's something called My Second TV and if you look at the bottom, it's a partnership between CJ and Gretech. That sort of thing speaks to close ties. Now I'm trying to look for the members of Gretech's board of directors, but maybe you could look for them in Korean? Boardu of direcotoru?
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On June 03 2010 03:49 Hier wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 03:40 Mylin wrote:On June 03 2010 03:34 Hier wrote:
Well, looks like the beginning of the end of the BW scene in Korea as we know it.
*sobs uncontrollably* Don't really see why it would gotta wait and see how this develops. From where I am looking, a future where BW is as big in eSports as it is now is slowly shrinking on the horizon. One only has to consider people's intentions, reasons, motivations, goals, and potential benefits resulting from their actions. MBC simply has no choice at this point. Either shoot itself or eat a very slow acting poison. I sincerely hope I am wrong, though.
I think as long as theres a high demand for continued starleagues/proleague in South Korea then it will live on.
If anything kills BW its most likely to many fans switching to SC2.
Gotta remember aswell that from Gremtech/GOMTVs perspective they'll probably rather see OGN/MBC continue with BW. The starleagues/proleague being played on SC2 would probably hurt their own tournaments more then anything else could.
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now that blizzard has the ball in they're court, we're fucked.
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Kespa has control over the Proleague and the 12 Pro-game teams. Most importantly, Kespa represent the 12 sponsors. If the 12 sponsors don't want to have anything to do with Blizzard/Gretech, then the problem will never be resolved.
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It will be interesting to see how long it takes for OGN to respond. I may be wrong here, but doesn't CJ also own/control a majority in OGN as well?
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United States33392 Posts
just to make it clear, OGN and MBCGame have already paid KeSPA/IEG for broadcasting rights, it's not like it would be anything new. They'd just be serving new masters 
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Live2Win
United States6657 Posts
I have a questions. Theoretically, what if MBC/OGN decided to say "fuck it" to Blizzard and just kept broadcasting games under KeSPA? I mean what right does Blizzard have to come in 10 years after this thing has started to say "this is ours and we have the right to control its broadcasting rights". Eventually they'd have to go to court but where, US court or Korean court?
I honestly think if KeSPA had all the progaming teams backing them, they could potentially just continue with the Proleague and Blizzard wouldn't be able to do much about it.
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They'd go to court in Korea, and more likely than not lose.
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motbob
United States12546 Posts
Well, we don't know if they would win or not. But if MBCGame is negotiating, I think it's pretty clear who they think has the upper hand here legally.
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United States33392 Posts
On June 03 2010 04:44 Live2Win wrote:
I have a questions. Theoretically, what if MBC/OGN decided to say "fuck it" to Blizzard and just kept broadcasting games under KeSPA? I mean what right does Blizzard have to come in 10 years after this thing has started to say "this is ours and we have the right to control its broadcasting rights". Eventually they'd have to go to court but where, US court or Korean court?
I honestly think if KeSPA had all the progaming teams backing them, they could potentially just continue with the Proleague and Blizzard wouldn't be able to do much about it.
I've been wondering about something like this.
KeSPA's actions so far seem to reveal they have absolutely no confidence in going to court. They act as if they they tried to go ahead and ignore Blizz, Blizz would take them to court and fuck them up. As much as certain TL users like to claim "Korean courts rule for Korean companies," or "American copyright laws don't apply in Korea," everything I'm reading seems to suggest that KeSPA is deathly afraid of going to court.
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On June 03 2010 05:03 motbob wrote:
Well, we don't know if they would win or not. But if MBCGame is negotiating, I think it's pretty clear who they think has the upper hand here legally.
Legally? no. upperhand in future blizzard games? yes.
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On June 03 2010 05:05 Waxangel wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 04:44 Live2Win wrote:
I have a questions. Theoretically, what if MBC/OGN decided to say "fuck it" to Blizzard and just kept broadcasting games under KeSPA? I mean what right does Blizzard have to come in 10 years after this thing has started to say "this is ours and we have the right to control its broadcasting rights". Eventually they'd have to go to court but where, US court or Korean court?
I honestly think if KeSPA had all the progaming teams backing them, they could potentially just continue with the Proleague and Blizzard wouldn't be able to do much about it. I've been wondering about something like this. KeSPA's actions so far seem to reveal they have absolutely no confidence in going to court. They act as if they they tried to go ahead and ignore Blizz, Blizz would take them to court and fuck them up. As much as certain TL users like to claim "Korean courts rule for Korean companies," or "American copyright laws don't apply in Korea," everything I'm reading seems to suggest that KeSPA is deathly afraid of going to court.
They would most likely go to a non-biased country's court, in Canada the supreme court is suppose to be 100% COMPLETELY non-biased, meaning if the government screwed me over I could take them to court and potentially win. With a case big as this they would have to make it 100% non biased.
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51456 Posts
Not surprised considering Gretech and MBC have had a cordial relationship ever since GOMTV sponsored four MSL's in a row.
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On June 03 2010 03:37 shalafi wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 03:33 TRAP[yoo] wrote:
why would they want to shutdown bw? they are making money with it dude... It depends. How much do you think they're going to pay? Shutting down BW subtly (by demanding a high fee, but setting a NDA so they cannot say how high it is) would increase SC2 sales almost for sure. And a moderate increase of SC2's sales is a lot more profitable for Activision Blizzard both in the short and the long run. They can ask a ton of money for BW and a small fee for SC2 (which will increase afterwards), so they make SC2 more profitable and force the switch. I'm pretty sure that's what Kotik would do/think.
I really don't think keeping the BW scene alive would hurt sc2 sales at all.
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On June 03 2010 03:37 shalafi wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 03:33 TRAP[yoo] wrote:
why would they want to shutdown bw? they are making money with it dude... Shutting down BW subtly (by demanding a high fee, but setting a NDA so they cannot say how high it is) would increase SC2 sales almost for sure. And a moderate increase of SC2's sales is a lot more profitable for Activision Blizzard both in the short and the long run.
That would also make them hated in Korea. You think the esports fans who have been following the sport for years now, and their favorite players and teams will be happy if Blizzard sticks its beak in to kill bw (and thus kill off the teams/players' careers) just to try to squeeze a few more sales from sc2? I don't see this being a clean slate from the fans perspective.
On June 03 2010 05:10 NuKedUFirst wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 05:05 Waxangel wrote:On June 03 2010 04:44 Live2Win wrote:
I have a questions. Theoretically, what if MBC/OGN decided to say "fuck it" to Blizzard and just kept broadcasting games under KeSPA? I mean what right does Blizzard have to come in 10 years after this thing has started to say "this is ours and we have the right to control its broadcasting rights". Eventually they'd have to go to court but where, US court or Korean court?
I honestly think if KeSPA had all the progaming teams backing them, they could potentially just continue with the Proleague and Blizzard wouldn't be able to do much about it. I've been wondering about something like this. KeSPA's actions so far seem to reveal they have absolutely no confidence in going to court. They act as if they they tried to go ahead and ignore Blizz, Blizz would take them to court and fuck them up. As much as certain TL users like to claim "Korean courts rule for Korean companies," or "American copyright laws don't apply in Korea," everything I'm reading seems to suggest that KeSPA is deathly afraid of going to court. They would most likely go to a non-biased country's court, in Canada the supreme court is suppose to be 100% COMPLETELY non-biased, meaning if the government screwed me over I could take them to court and potentially win. With a case big as this they would have to make it 100% non biased.
And how would that work? a Canadian court (for example) has absolutely 0 jurisdiction in Korea. Since this matter is taking place in Korea and its consequences are based there, I don't see how or why this would happen anywhere else.
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Didn't during the MSL finals they showed GOMTV wins/loss ?
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On June 03 2010 03:06 Renaissance wrote:
So it looks like things are going heavily in Blizzard's favour so far.
Blizzard is huge; MBC, OGN and Kespa are dwarves in comparison.
They will get exactly what they ask unfortunately.
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I think this is a step towards the right direction. 1) MSL continues to live despite Blizzard intervention 2) MSL is distancing itself from kespa.
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Reminds me of when Valve disallowed CS 1.6 TV licenses in order to promote CS:S.
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Let me link you to this article in NY Times:
Owners stop paying mortgage
TL;DR: Owners stop paying mortgage, lenders take months, sometimes years, to kick them out while owners continue to live in their homes.
How's this related to this whole Kespa-Blizzard standoff? If Korean courts can be clogged like U.S courts often can be manipulated to be (don't know Korean courts), Kespa can delay this forever while they either continue or wrap up.
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On June 03 2010 06:00 Bosu wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 03:37 shalafi wrote:On June 03 2010 03:33 TRAP[yoo] wrote:
why would they want to shutdown bw? they are making money with it dude... It depends. How much do you think they're going to pay? Shutting down BW subtly (by demanding a high fee, but setting a NDA so they cannot say how high it is) would increase SC2 sales almost for sure. And a moderate increase of SC2's sales is a lot more profitable for Activision Blizzard both in the short and the long run. They can ask a ton of money for BW and a small fee for SC2 (which will increase afterwards), so they make SC2 more profitable and force the switch. I'm pretty sure that's what Kotik would do/think. I really don't think keeping the BW scene alive would hurt sc2 sales at all.
Seriously? In Korea? You think people is not going to compare both? (And say how much worse and noobish SC2 is)
Having it's successful competitor being played so much will hurt the sales for sure. And on the other hand, forcing them to play SC2 tournaments on TV would be a huge sales boost.
Also, don't you think it's very convenient to ask money aggressively for BW now that SC2 is about to be released instead of years ago? (When they were being very passive).
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On June 03 2010 03:14 snowdrift86 wrote:
Perhaps CJ's stake in Gretech is facilitating this deal. If that's the case, things should also work out for OGN, which belongs to CJ.
What does exactly does CJ own?
Maybe they can solve this whole issue with a little manipulating...
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Whether this kills the BW scene depends entirely on what Blizzard decides to do. They can either be generous and allow BW alongside SC2, or try to promote SC2 by disallowing any BW tournies to take place. The latter may possibly cause a huge backlash against SC2, but Blizzard isn't always known for rational decision-making.
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On June 03 2010 07:51 Spawkuring wrote:
Whether this kills the BW scene depends entirely on what Blizzard decides to do. They can either be generous and allow BW alongside SC2, or try to promote SC2 by disallowing any BW tournies to take place. The latter may possibly cause a huge backlash against SC2, but Blizzard isn't always known for rational decision-making.
I don't understand why people honestly thinks that Blizzard are out to kill the bw scene though. If anything these news suggests that it is probably going to be business as usual for the bw scene as soon as renegotiations are done.
Blizzard could have killed the bw scene to promote warcraft 3 a long time ago, they didn't. They could had killed the bw and wc3 scenes to promote wow arena. They didn't.
Because they are all different games, with different fans and some fans who like all of them. Starcraft 2 and Starcraft: Broodwar are just as different games as Starcraft: Broodwar and Warcraft 3. Don't get fooled by the fact that they both got the same word in the title.
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On June 03 2010 07:58 ymirheim wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 07:51 Spawkuring wrote:
Whether this kills the BW scene depends entirely on what Blizzard decides to do. They can either be generous and allow BW alongside SC2, or try to promote SC2 by disallowing any BW tournies to take place. The latter may possibly cause a huge backlash against SC2, but Blizzard isn't always known for rational decision-making. I don't understand why people honestly thinks that Blizzard are out to kill the bw scene though. If anything these news suggests that it is probably going to be business as usual for the bw scene as soon as renegotiations are done. Blizzard could have killed the bw scene to promote warcraft 3 a long time ago, they didn't. They could had killed the bw and wc3 scenes to promote wow arena. They didn't. Because they are all different games, with different fans and some fans who like all of them. Starcraft 2 and Starcraft: Broodwar are just as different games as Starcraft: Broodwar and Warcraft 3. Don't get fooled by the fact that they both got the same word in the title.
That's not really true. SC1 and SC2 are far more similar to each other than SC1 to WC3. Like it or not, the two StarCrafts will be compared to each other endlessly, and for the most part will be seen as in direct competition with each other. It's not at all like WC3, which catered to an entirely different style of pro-gamer due to its RPG gameplay, or WoW which has an completely different audience; both SC1 and SC2 want the exact same type of pro-gamer and both will try to snag as many as they can.
Now I'm not saying that Blizzard will definitely kill the BW scene to promote SC2, but it's definitely a much stronger possibility this time around.
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Well I'm glad people are at least talking, its better than sitting around in a huff.
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Blizzard should show a bit more respect for korean broodwar esports
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I think it's more likely that this a symbolic move ("hey, we tried"), given the terms Blizzard was intent upon in the first place. I just can't see either MBC or OGN agreeing to anything remotely like that.
And if they do actually come to an agreement, eSports is going to suffer as a result. The royalty money will have to come from somewhere, and it's not likely that the sponsors will just foot the bill without making cuts elsewhere.
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Interesting.. wonder what OGN is planning on doing and what kespa says about this.
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With Blizzard having full control over the korean scene rite now, this clearly shows they anticipated this move for a while now, and the fact that they have succeeded in taking down kespa they will shut down the BW scene eventually to produce more popularity for SC2 in Korea. The scene outside of Korea is practically dead, so basically all that is left is korea and it will go down soon because blizzard only cares about money and not what the fans want.
It would be hilarious if Blizzard decides to take control of ICCup and have completely 100% full control over all aspects of the SC:BW esports scene.
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In the long run, SC:bw could have lasted another 10 years and we all know it. The reason SC:bw dies is the company who created this game, Basically they have the power to end it.
But regardless, in the future if i still have time to game, I go on iccup for sc1
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IMO it's a security measure, they really don't want to risk losing the MSL.
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Canada11350 Posts
On June 03 2010 08:37 LiquiDLegend wrote:In the long run, SC:bw could have lasted another 10 years and we all know it. The reason SC:bw dies is the company who created this game, Basically they have the power to end it. But regardless, in the future if i still have time to game, I go on iccup for sc1
Pure speculation. We have no way of knowing if SCBW would have lasted another 10 years. I highly doubt it, that's a long time for no other quality RTS games to come out.
I really do not think Blizzard has an interest in shutting down SCBW. It makes no sense to anger your own fans to get more sales. As others have said, if SCBW esports die, its because fans switch over SC2.
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well . i agree with MBC is doing
playing it safe and staying within the borders to keep the fans happy
:D im satisfied
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So now that a Korean company is involved, i'm guessing international copyright law is less of an issue.
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What MBCGame is doing, is truly "for the fans".
What KeSPA did, was not.
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This seems to be going well so far, that's good.
Hopefully everything turns out fine. This stuff still has me worried though, it would be a real blow if something were to happen to the BW scene.
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All I can say is, KeSPA brought this on itself. I'm not exactly cheering for Blizzard due to the BNet 2.0 fiasco, but what KeSPA's done so far in their negotiations with Blizzard was plain stupid.
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On June 03 2010 03:39 heyoka wrote:
This is such a fun trainwreck to watch. Thanks for the translation.
Heyoka summed up my thoughts better than I could have possibly imagined.
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Because TL isn't full of people new to professional BW nowadays.
Most Korean gamers know about SCBW, have played it competitively and watched progames, unlike most of the people that comes to TL since SC2 beta.
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On June 03 2010 09:46 mrdx wrote:
What MBCGame is doing, is truly "for the fans".
What KeSPA did, was not.
Yea, glad they are taking action.
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Nice to see MBCGame is making an attempt. I really don't want progaming to come to an end =/
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MBC already signed a sponsors for their next MSL, if they went ahead without the approval of Blizzard and got themselves into all sort of legal problems, what do you think that will look like for their sponsors? of course MBC will be playing safe here...
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On June 03 2010 03:39 heyoka wrote:
This is such a fun trainwreck to watch. Thanks for the translation.
I agree wholly.
I've been wondering about something like this.
KeSPA's actions so far seem to reveal they have absolutely no confidence in going to court. They act as if they they tried to go ahead and ignore Blizz, Blizz would take them to court and fuck them up. As much as certain TL users like to claim "Korean courts rule for Korean companies," or "American copyright laws don't apply in Korea," everything I'm reading seems to suggest that KeSPA is deathly afraid of going to court.
Personally, I think that reluctance has a lot to do with Kespa's selling of the broadcast rights a few years back...which according to Blizzard is what got this whole thing started. I just can't see any court, Korean or not, backing them up on that.
I think it's more likely that this a symbolic move ("hey, we tried"), given the terms Blizzard was intent upon in the first place. I just can't see either MBC or OGN agreeing to anything remotely like that.
And if they do actually come to an agreement, eSports is going to suffer as a result. The royalty money will have to come from somewhere, and it's not likely that the sponsors will just foot the bill without making cuts elsewhere.
The terms Blizzard demanded from Kespa were specifically for a business partner and overseeing agency for Blizzard games in Korea...which Blizzard now has in GOM--which I'm sure has agreed to similar or identical terms already. They were never planning to demand all of those conditions from the broadcasting corps, sponsors, etc. The way I see it, now that Blizzard has a partner they trust in Korean e-sports, they're basically stepping back and letting GOM handle the nitty-gritty of negotiations and individual agreements with the various firms. GOM will still be in a close partnership with Blizzard, though...
Backing this up, remember that when Kespa's response came out, Blizzard responded with a "No comment," while GOM immediately released a call to negotiations. Basically Blizzard's way of saying "Talk to the GOM!"
I think Blizzard has said all they're going to say for a while; right now, GOM is in charge.
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This move really puts Blizzard in the driver seat. The more contracts that Korean courts would have to break up in order to assert KeSPA's control, the less likely the courts will issue the injunction. KeSPA might be better served at trying to find a place in the new Blizzard/GOM broadcasting structure than getting marginalized.
And for those who say that Blizzard is spelling the end of SCBW eSports with the GOM partnership are mistaken. The days of SCBW were numbered when SC2 was announced. Not because the games or players wouldn't be entertaining or competitive, but because the excitement around the SC2 release would have more fans demanding SC2 eSports, and as the fans go, so does the money...
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On June 03 2010 06:44 Biff The Understudy wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 03:06 Renaissance wrote:
So it looks like things are going heavily in Blizzard's favour so far. Blizzard is huge; MBC, OGN and Kespa are dwarves in comparison. They will get exactly what they ask unfortunately.
Do you even know what Kespa is comprised of?
Also this sounds terrible. If Blizzard gets control of korean esports pro bw is as good as dead.
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Ya... the sponsers for the pro teams are not dwarves rofl..
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On June 03 2010 11:48 Veil wrote:
Ya... the sponsers for the pro teams are not dwarves rofl..
the sponsors may not be, but their dedication to sc2 progaming is minimal in the grand scheme of things.
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good on MBC's part just taking things in flow.
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On June 03 2010 03:34 Hier wrote:
Well, looks like the beginning of the end of the BW scene in Korea as we know it.
*sobs uncontrollably*
wow you expect SC2 and BroodWar to be an eSport together?...
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I couldnt be happier. Finally some movement and some proactive decision making. Dont get me wrong, i have some fears about what bad could come from this shuffle. But i am trying not to think about those things and instead i am focusing on the fact that money solves problems. Money caused this dispute and now money is solving this dispute. No one will choose to go broke. Everyone involved will eventually choose money over nothing, and they make money off of putting amazing games in front of thrilled audiences and hyping everything to shit. So no matter what happens, we win.
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Teamliquid =/= Korean gaming population
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This news gives me mixed feelings. Part of me is like yay, at least there will still be MSLs(and hopefully OSL and PL). But my other side is like aww MBC you cracked under the man.
Long live BW.
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On June 03 2010 03:16 Waxangel wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 03:14 snowdrift86 wrote:
Perhaps CJ's stake in Gretech is facilitating this deal. If that's the case, things should also work out for OGN, which belongs to CJ. I expect BW to be able to continue unhindered, at least in the immediate future, unless Blizzard/GOM make impossible demands with the intent of killing the proscene to make way for SC2. It's the SC2 scene that will probably be most affected by the Blizzard-Gretech deal. CJ have a 25% stake in gretech. While it does make them the single biggest shareholder in Gretech, Korean journalists speculate on exactly how significant it is. Officially, CJ claims they are just an investor in Gretech and have no interest in its actual operations.
Technically, CJ has a 49.3% stake in MNET media, which in turn has a 24.5% in GRETECH. ^^;
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thanks very much and wow what a nice timeline.
if you don't mind, i will repost and translate the timeline in bbs.wfbrood.com
http://bbs.wfbrood.com/thread-15497-1-1.html
I will provide the feedback from the chinese community here.
Thanks again.
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by the way feel free to PM me
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Knowing Activision's reputation, I can't help but be wary for the future.
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You people confuse proleague and starleague.
Kespa is ruling over pro league and selling rights to boths channels
As far as I know, Kespa holds 0 rights whatsoever on individual leagues. (But to monitor them and sanction them so they count in ranking)
That means therefore, if MBC wants to run MST the person he has to talk to now is Gretech, meanwhile BEFORE ALL THIS, he had to speak with no one.
In that matter, Kespa wouldn't go to court, but MBC would. This is entirely different.
Kespa was the head negociator and it failed. So now, tv channels have to act on their own.
It's more complicated then how people make it sound. It's actually a mess because GOm is a broadcasting company.
So basically, channels now have to pay a fee to run their individual leagues.
To Gretech to Blizzard ? What are the details ? We don't even know what kind of money all this represents. I doubt it is big since MBC game isn't a rich channel by any mean.
The way it's heading now, you could imagine GOM turning soon into merely a middle man between OGN / MBC and blizzard. If MBC or OGN gets to launch sc2 countent anyday soon, I even doubt GOM will keep running things on their own.
Maybe GOM will end up making english commentating content on official MBC / OGN games.
That'd be awesome.
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Very good news. This really pleases me. I think it shows that they are willing to do what i takes to make sure the BW Proscene continues, and I am sure OGN will follow shortly. Awsome!
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i'm going to reserve judgment on this until i see it play out
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nice to see the fans come first! (^-^)b MBC
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ah man sc2 really is taking over brood war. 
oh well, i love sc2.. i just wish the original wouldn't die so fast..
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On June 03 2010 03:13 Southlight wrote:
If this is a step towards gamers being compensated better (thus making it more of a legit profession), it's great news for e-sports.
I hope you know that it creates another expense in the cost of the producer of the tourney or the league. Meaning the chances for the players getting a raise is going to be close to 0. (Especially if Gom will issue similar demands as blizzard)
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On June 03 2010 16:45 Boonbag wrote:
Maybe GOM will end up making english commentating content on official MBC / OGN games.
One could dream right? 
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On June 03 2010 23:45 Senx wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 16:45 Boonbag wrote:
Maybe GOM will end up making english commentating content on official MBC / OGN games. One could dream right?
That would be really awesome! Tasteless ftw!
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in my opinion, Blizzard should offer broadcasting companies a package which includes both starcraft. But it would be dangerous if blizzard tries to pull out much money as possible because e sport is one of the best ads what Bliz can ever have. Therefore Blizzard should act careful as possible.
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everyone seems to be paranoid about these huge sums of money blizzard seems to be demanding. Did they ever state anything like that? And why would sponsers stop sponsering? Can someone enlighten me?
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On June 03 2010 13:07 TriniMasta[wD] wrote:
wow you expect SC2 and BroodWar to be an eSport together?...
There is a possibility that they could co-exist for a period of time. Obviously SC:BW will reach the end of its rope sooner or later, but it won't happen immediately.
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blizzard only cares about one thing profit. So I imagine that the negiotiation will go something like this
"so how much do you want to keep MSL alive?"
"10 million"
"uhm, that's way too much"
"ok then, just give us 10 minutes of free advertising for starcraft II during every televised match"
"ok"
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Doesn't matter who wins or loses in court blizzard could just sand bag them and bankrupt Kespa or whoever with legal fees and reach the same end.
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I simply stated this from the start of their negotiations. Blizzard can destroy kespa in a heartbeat. But we will suffer from all of this.
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NOW they wanna talk. good to see that lines of communications are finally opening up
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why would I want english commentary for BW games? I KNOW what is happening on the screen, and screaming korean commentators are much more fun to listen than boring sellouts like tasteless or daniel. while GOM TV tournaments were running back in 2008/09, a bunch of people here complained how the commentators often chat about random things and miss important developments in game, they complained about susie not knowing enough about bw, or about daniel's not so stellar english skills, and now all of a sudden those two clowns are supposed to be voices from god? I dont think so.
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Isn't KeSPA a NFP?
So is Blizzard basically pulling the rug out under KeSPA (which may not even be the case, since CJ is a KeSPA member) for profiteering purposes?
At the end of the day though, a sport that generates profit is a sport that grows.
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On June 04 2010 07:42 immacolate wrote:+ Show Spoiler +why would I want english commentary for BW games? I KNOW what is happening on the screen, and screaming korean commentators are much more fun to listen than boring sellouts like tasteless or daniel. while GOM TV tournaments were running back in 2008/09, a bunch of people here complained how the commentators often chat about random things and miss important developments in game, they complained about susie not knowing enough about bw, or about daniel's not so stellar english skills, and now all of a sudden those two clowns are supposed to be voices from god? I dont think so .
You're right, we don't really need to be told they're going for a 12 hatch or barrack into expansion. Commentary in general is most useful to fill the voids in boring parts of the broadcast, such as the first 5 minutes of a game where both players go for their heavy econ build or the time between games. See every sport.
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On June 04 2010 08:06 Tassix wrote:Show nested quote +On June 04 2010 07:42 immacolate wrote:+ Show Spoiler +why would I want english commentary for BW games? I KNOW what is happening on the screen, and screaming korean commentators are much more fun to listen than boring sellouts like tasteless or daniel. while GOM TV tournaments were running back in 2008/09, a bunch of people here complained how the commentators often chat about random things and miss important developments in game, they complained about susie not knowing enough about bw, or about daniel's not so stellar english skills, and now all of a sudden those two clowns are supposed to be voices from god? I dont think so . You're right, we don't really need to be told they're going for a 12 hatch or barrack into expansion. Commentary in general is most useful to fill the voids in boring parts of the broadcast, such as the first 5 minutes of a game where both players go for their heavy econ build or the time between games. See every sport.
But hearing the Korean commentators and hearing them laugh at the crowd watching the game is more fun for me.
Except sometimes Tasteless, I don't like how English commentators fills the voids. If they were truly professional, and made jokes with/about the spectators, it would be as fun.
Also, they don't seem as excited when saying "Ge geeeeeeeeeeeee!" or "stoooorm!", which really helps to make the games exciting.
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Canada11350 Posts
On June 04 2010 07:42 immacolate wrote:
why would I want english commentary for BW games? I KNOW what is happening on the screen, and screaming korean commentators are much more fun to listen than boring sellouts like tasteless or daniel. while GOM TV tournaments were running back in 2008/09, a bunch of people here complained how the commentators often chat about random things and miss important developments in game, they complained about susie not knowing enough about bw, or about daniel's not so stellar english skills, and now all of a sudden those two clowns are supposed to be voices from god? I dont think so.
Do any of you watch televised sports? I know precisely what is happening in ice hockey (or Winter Olympics mogul skiing), but I've watched it without commentary and it's not nearly so interesting. Maybe you don't like the English commentators, but for most people commentary that is understandable enhances the viewing experience. Why make an obscure viewing experience even more obscure due to format?
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T.O.P.
Hong Kong4685 Posts
On June 03 2010 14:48 silentreality wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 03:16 Waxangel wrote:On June 03 2010 03:14 snowdrift86 wrote:
Perhaps CJ's stake in Gretech is facilitating this deal. If that's the case, things should also work out for OGN, which belongs to CJ. I expect BW to be able to continue unhindered, at least in the immediate future, unless Blizzard/GOM make impossible demands with the intent of killing the proscene to make way for SC2. It's the SC2 scene that will probably be most affected by the Blizzard-Gretech deal. CJ have a 25% stake in gretech. While it does make them the single biggest shareholder in Gretech, Korean journalists speculate on exactly how significant it is. Officially, CJ claims they are just an investor in Gretech and have no interest in its actual operations. Technically, CJ has a 49.3% stake in MNET media, which in turn has a 24.5% in GRETECH. ^^;
So you multiply it and get that CJ owns 12% of Gretech?
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On June 04 2010 10:27 T.O.P. wrote:Show nested quote +On June 03 2010 14:48 silentreality wrote:On June 03 2010 03:16 Waxangel wrote:On June 03 2010 03:14 snowdrift86 wrote:
Perhaps CJ's stake in Gretech is facilitating this deal. If that's the case, things should also work out for OGN, which belongs to CJ. I expect BW to be able to continue unhindered, at least in the immediate future, unless Blizzard/GOM make impossible demands with the intent of killing the proscene to make way for SC2. It's the SC2 scene that will probably be most affected by the Blizzard-Gretech deal. CJ have a 25% stake in gretech. While it does make them the single biggest shareholder in Gretech, Korean journalists speculate on exactly how significant it is. Officially, CJ claims they are just an investor in Gretech and have no interest in its actual operations. Technically, CJ has a 49.3% stake in MNET media, which in turn has a 24.5% in GRETECH. ^^; So you multiply it and get that CJ owns 12% of Gretech?
it doesnt work like that. they pretty much control 50% of mnet on their own, so they can dictate the actions of mnet 100%, not just 50%.
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It's nice that msl is still going, but where's osl D:
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Ongamenet probably cannot afford to NOT broker a deal with GomTV just like MBC, so I expect to see the OSL and MSL continue w/ Blizzard's approval of their use of it's IP.
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I really hope teams start transitioning to SC2. I'd love to see SC2 played regularly by all my favorites
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On June 05 2010 02:47 hejakev wrote:
I really hope teams start transitioning to SC2. I'd love to see SC2 played regularly by all my favorites
No thanks.
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lets make a script about all of this drama and send it to ridley scott, im pretty sure a hella movie will result, with guns and black hawks and all that shit
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On June 05 2010 08:51 oo_xerox wrote:
lets make a script about all of this drama and send it to ridley scott, im pretty sure a hella movie will result, with guns and black hawks and all that shit
Genius, but then Blizzard will attempt to acquire ownership and taking over half our profits.
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Doesn't this article completely contradict the latest article 'Gretech and KeSPA Deadlocked'?
With the MBCGame survivor league set to start on the third of June, MBCGame has approached Gretech/GomTV to begin negotiations over Blizzard's intellectual property rights.
In response, on June 4th, Gretech has requested kespa, OGN and MBCGame to join the negotiations table, sending documents outlining its contract with Blizzard as a warrant for holding negotations, yet none have given a response.
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I'm just happy that the MSL is going to keep going, there have been some awesome games to come out of the finals lately mostly because of Jaedong/flash but the league is great =D. GJ manning up MBC.
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EPT
