A Valid Reason to Hate

[AugustusBot]

On the official sony ps3 forums... you're not allowed to mention Xbox 360, or 360 games.

If you do, the thread / post gets deleted.

Absurd. With something so ridiculous, even I can't help but start to hate...

[Curry]

You serious? :D

Got any examples of that? I'd love to see :P

[Voyager2k]

Reminds me of that other piece of news today ... try putting "linux" or "unix" in your gamerprofile's motto ...... it's "inappropriate language" or something :)

[JasonA]

On the official sony ps3 forums... you're not allowed to mention Xbox 360, or 360 games.

If you do, the thread / post gets deleted.

Absurd. With something so ridiculous, even I can't help but start to hate...

Wow - is it in their rules and smallprint crap?

[AugustusBot]

http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=ps3&thread.id=294685

Please be aware that discussion of other consoles, games, and products other than the PLAYSTATION®3 are not permitted on this forum. Any messages breaking this policy are subject to immediate deletion.

I asked why everyone kept referring to it as "the other console" (w/ quotes and everything) when referring to (i didnt say it by name, out of dread) the xbox 360... i asked if they weren't allowed to say it or something, and i was referred to that link.

Warhawk (an incredible game.. when you can play it) has had some network problems since the day the retail version came out (i got the downloaded version and it was find for the first two days). I guess too many people got it / they weren't prepared for the network overload... so w/ the problems, you can spend up to an hour trying to get into a game, and even though you're joining servers that are 28/32, 25/32 people, it would say 'Game is full'.

So I made a thread called " 'Game is full' = Time for Blue Dragon' " and after a few flames of 'xbox fanboi bla bla bla' (which i'm clearly not! ps3 rocks!), to which i replied i'm not a fanboi i'm just a fan of games... that work... the entire thread was deleted.

yet on the blue dragon xbox forums i met a guy who also loved warhawk and we agreed to add each other on the psn network so we could play together. no deletion.

i <3 microsoft?

[Ivan Joidherpus]

hahahahahahahahaha
priceless.
Would this be the same thing as the "See No Evil" technique of solving your problems?

[Rossko_UK]

You all laugh, but that's the same for the Xbox forums (well in the UK bit at least). People have often created a thread regarding Sony, even if it isn't a flame thread, and it is instantly removed.

I'm not surprised, you are on the Playstation 3 forums, not the general forums or whatever.

[Curry]

There's a difference between shunning offtopic discussion and avoiding flamewars (which is good) and pure censorship in the childish sense.

As a comparison, here on these forums we don't appreciate threads being started with porn or promoting drug abuse. That's something entirely different than trashing users and threads because they mention those words.

I see the point in not being allowed to open threads about Sony on the Xbox forums, that's just preventive moderation because everyone knows it'll be flamewars. But having everyone call a competitor's machine "the other console" because they might face a ban otherwise is just way over the top.

[Voyager2k]

But having everyone call a competitor's machine "the other console" because they might face a ban otherwise is just way over the top.

Or a simple legal trademark issue. Those forums are not public general purpose forums and I am fairly certain that in a legal sense a corporate support forum is equal to printed documentation. There is ownership of and responsibility for content. And certainly Microsoft would not allow Sony to use their trademarks in their documentation .... or the other way around.

[HylianHitman]

Come on. Why would Microsoft sue Sony, or vice versa because some douche posts the word Xbox or Playstation on the respective forums?

[Curry]

Or a simple legal trademark issue. Those forums are not public general purpose forums and I am fairly certain that in a legal sense a corporate support forum is equal to printed documentation. There is ownership of and responsibility for content. And certainly Microsoft would not allow Sony to use their trademarks in their documentation .... or the other way around.
Trademarks can always be used in common discussion, just not in official documents. And I'm 100% sure that a forum does not equal printed documentation ;)

[Ivan Joidherpus]

Those forums are not public general purpose forums and I am fairly certain that in a legal sense a corporate support forum is equal to printed documentation. There is ownership of and responsibility for content. And certainly Microsoft would not allow Sony to use their trademarks in their documentation .... or the other way around.

Accepting the Terms of Use for a public forum does not take away the fact that it is still a public forum. The forums being considered equal to printed documentation is a bit of a stretch, however, with a solid legal team I'm sure that that argument could be made (perhaps not succesfully, but made none the less).

And you actually hit the nail on the head. Were it actually MS that was using Sony trademarks, or vice versa, there would be a big issue about it. As it stands, it was the general public posting their thoughts, opinons and/or concerns in a public forum. I think its more a matter of 'marking your territory' than it is about legal issues.

"I pee'd here first, this is my tree, now fuck off" :P

I'm not saying you're wrong, just that it makes a good debate about what is and what isn't cencorship versus what is paranoia. Anyways, while this situation is laughable, I'd fully expect the same thing goes on on xbox.com forums. These guys don't have any reason to play nice with each other, or give the "other guys" console any time/space on their pages. It sucks, but I don't think they're acting out of line.

my three cents.

[Voyager2k]

Trademarks can always be used in common discussion, just not in official documents. And I'm 100% sure that a forum does not equal printed documentation ;)

Corporate forums for product support are diffrent from forums like these Niels. Especially in a legal sense. Maybe the comparison with printed documentation sucks but it's the first thing that came to mind. Yes you can use trademarks in a common discussion. No, product support is not a "common discussion". It's quite the opposite actually because the company is completely responsible (legally) for what's beeing posted on those boards.

Of course, it might still and after all be just a turf war as mass9 pointed out. But I do believe that it's legal reasons simply because pretty much every company that runs support forums one way or another heavily monitors and moderates them which is something that does cost money. And where money flows there has to be a "profit", even if it's just preventing getting sued because someone else's rights got violated on a support forum.

Imho that's one huge grey area of stupid and more stupid as well as superstupid laws and not allowing the "other consoles" names and trademarks to be mentioned is simply preventing lawyers from making more money.

You know, instead of speculating ... we could actually ask Microsoft and Sony about this :) I am sure their legal departments would in fact answer this one in great detail.

[JasonA]

http://www.jason-andrews.co.uk/xboxic/whocares.jpg

[Rival24]

Aww you're such a friendly guy Jay :P

[JasonA]

Aww you're such a friendly guy Jay :P

I know..lol

In legal terms a trademark generally consisting of a word or images can not be reproduced without written consent from the trademark owner. This applies to almost all trademarks all over the world. But in generalisation in a non advertising way we can use trademarks in anything so long as it's not regarded as infringement. and in some cases the trademark owner is acknowledged in some way.

A corporate support forum or any other forum is just that - A FORUM, a classification, a standard word describing computer media for where a user post's comments and receives feedback. A forum is a forum. Look everyone I can say fucking Coca Cola look without legal issues...

The main purpose of a trademark is for TRADE purposes only, hence it's name. Meaning only the trademark owner can trade or produce products, services under certain classes for which the trademark was registered. What we talk about or what is mentioned in any forum is not a trademark infringement.

I have experience in trademarks Voyager2K, plus I fucking own and license one...give it up!!!;)

[Rossko_UK]

http://www.jason-andrews.co.uk/xboxic/whocares.jpg

I have to say, that was really rather well done there, made me laugh out loud at the way you did that. _o_

I have no intention of adding to the discussion, I got lost way back!

[nofear360]

I have experience in trademarks Voyager2K, plus I fucking own and license one...give it up!!!;)
OWNED!!!

Sorry, couldn't resist :P.

[JasonA]

:D

[Voyager2k]

EDIT: deleted, pointless

[AugustusBot]

I'm not sure if i can accurately sum up my hate right now.

The PS3 forums are crap. 3/4 of it is the moderation.

If XBOX had an internet browswer... you'd automaticaly be signed in as your username when you sign on Live. There'd be a default link to the xbox forums. everything would be seamlessly integrated. PS3's is crap. Ignoring the very small complaints of creating my own bookmark and logging in (even though I'm signed on PSN...), i then have to change a buried preference in order to even be able to post from the Playstation 3.

"Use WYSIWYG Message Editor

If checked, users using IE 5.5+ will use the WYSIWYG post editor with graphical controls. "

This post editor, i might add, is shitty even on a PC. sometimes it's quick, sometimes it takes 30seconds- a minute to even load on the screen. (you get a white box... then when the message editor loads it turns black.)

So ya. I go to the forum, General forum, i ask if i'm doing something wrong, and that i think it's absurd that you can't post from your ps3. the thread is moved within 30 seconds to a forum that noone reads, buried at the bottom of the main page in 'off topic: support'. I guess it makes sense to move there. but still. 30 seconds. This isn't my first run in with their Nazi moderators on that forum.

So ya a few people respond to me in that page, one guy being a jackass saying 'i know how, maybe if youd ask and not be a dick' (;), my post DID ask tho. but then copmlained that you couldnt do it.)... one guy tells me how to do it, i reply to that saying thanks , unable to quote it because the crappy old school editor that the ps3 can support, and mention how the xbox would have it seamlessly integrated. then i call the other guy a asshole or somethin. at any rate... 3/4 of the replies to the thread are immediately deleted, including (obviously) my xbox claim, as well as the unquoted, un offensive, solution to the problem. the moderators are fucking idiots.

I've posted asking about a firmware update and within 5 minutes it was locked and i was told to post in a 160+page sticky at the top of the page. They have their shit on a sort of lockdown i have never seen on the internet, and i hate it.

I hate the ps3 forums. I've frequented many forums in my day, and never have i experienced such ridiculous moderation. World of Warcraft forums were heaven compared to ps3 forums.

[Rossko_UK]

I used to be on the UK boards before it got a massive rehaul (they took the forums offline for about six weeks, I went elsewhere), but the levels were nowhere near as bad as you speak of Augustus. I will have to enquire on the UK's state now.

[AugustusBot]

http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=warhawk&thread.id=165018

this thread was locked. why?
they also lock threads of people trying to make like... an all girls clan, or an all canadians clan... etc.

'discrimination'... wtf.