Dangers of hosting a private server?

[larderlake]

Ok, probably seems like/is a stupid question but I'm genuinely curious about this.

I've been making private servers for a very long time now, but it was always just for fun. Just did things like random WZ editing, learning how to code, and tried to basically educate myself so that I didn't need to be a leecher to progress. I never had intentions of hosting a private server because like I said it was just for fun, but now that I have gotten the hang of things I have been considering about hosting my own server. The problem is I keep hearing those scare stories about Nexon suing server owners, and I will admit I don't know if these stories are true and that I have no solid information on the matter.

So that's why I am making this thread. To find out the actual dangers of hosting a private server. For example my main question is pretty much this: Will Nexon always give a letter asking the server to shutdown first? I was under the impression that they always did that first, and if the server didn't comply they could be taken to court and basically the owner would be in a lot of tough poop. So is that always the case or can they actually just up and front sue you? :S

 

[aaronweiss]

The dangers are all dependent on exactly what you do. If you did everything right, there wouldn't be any dangers. Though, technically, the only danger anyway is financial losses because copyright infringement is a civil issue, not a criminal one.

 

[rice]

I was under the impression that they always did that first, and if the server didn't comply they could be taken to court and basically the owner would be in a lot of tough poop. So is that always the case or can they actually just up and front sue you? :S

Technically, Nexon can sue you for having blue hair, and there's not a thing you can do about it. Nexon is jewish. You're not.

 

[MrAgent]

Life is full of dangers. Some are worth taking and some are worth ditching. The decision is yours. All I can say is, there's always a risk in everything.

 

[dinkie]

I'd say the biggest danger is the huge amount of time you'll waste on something that isn't really worth it in the end. If I could give myself one piece of advice before ever making a server, it would have been to create something original that is legal. That's something that you could put on your resume or application, running an illegal private server isn't. Really, when you do things like this, you should have your future in mind. Sure it may seem worth it to make some money right now, but the long run is what's important.

 

[RaptorJesus]

There have been plenty of threads if you have just searched, but, you'll waste time and could end up in legal trouble like this sections former mod Sithu (c1nkkay) and our current mod (Sparks) were in.

You could probably ask Sparks how much money was wasted on litigation.

 

[iou]

OP

You can be sued for anything. "I don't like him [and my thoughts about hating him is effecting my work]" or "She looks ugly [and it is starting to become a detriment to my health]" is actually, in the US, a valid reason to sue, but it doesn't mean it's a winning reason.

The "danger" for most people (because Nexon knows it's not worth it taking down every server) of hosting a private server is being screwed over so always give yourself an out if you are working with others.