<s>
bnetd	B-Application
is	O
a	O
communication	O
app	O
that	O
enables	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
online	O
game	O
StarCraft	B-Application
(	O
and	O
StarCraft	B-Application
:	I-Application
Brood	I-Application
War	I-Application
)	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
31	O
,	O
1998	O
to	O
connect	O
and	O
chat	O
together	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bnetd	B-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
April	O
28	O
,	O
1998	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
StarHack	O
and	O
provided	O
near-complete	O
emulation	B-Application
of	O
the	O
original	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
gaming	O
service	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
accomplished	O
through	O
reverse	O
engineering	O
of	O
the	O
corporate	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
's	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
in	O
2002	O
,	O
United	O
States	O
that	O
Blizzard	O
won	O
against	O
bnetd	B-Application
's	O
original	O
developers	O
,	O
they	O
no	O
longer	O
maintain	O
or	O
host	O
bnetd	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
online	O
game	O
StarCraft	B-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
31	O
,	O
1998	O
,	O
<ref name=st10>{{cite web|url= 2, 2008|title=StarCrafts 10-Year Anniversary: A Retrospective|publisher=Blizzard Entertainment|access-date=March 31, 2008}}</ref>	O
and	O
required	O
the	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
gaming	O
service	O
network	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
near-complete	O
emulation	B-Application
of	O
this	O
network	O
was	O
released	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
bnetd	B-Application
on	O
April	O
28	O
,	O
1998	O
by	O
Mark	O
Baysinger	O
,	O
who	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
was	O
a	O
student	O
at	O
UC	O
San	O
Diego	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
StarHack	O
because	O
it	O
was	O
originally	O
meant	O
for	O
StarCraft	B-Application
to	O
connect	O
and	O
chat	O
together	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
because	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
open	O
sourced	O
under	O
the	O
GNU	B-License
General	I-License
Public	I-License
License	I-License
,	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
continued	O
by	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
volunteers	O
and	O
as	O
Blizzard	O
released	O
more	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
renamed	O
to	O
bnetd'''	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Connection	O
to	O
battle.net	B-Operating_System
is	O
permitted	O
only	O
with	O
a	O
valid	O
and	O
unique	O
key	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Individual	O
keys	O
are	O
regularly	O
disabled	O
by	O
battle.net	B-Operating_System
administrators	O
to	O
block	O
suspected	O
cheaters	O
from	O
battle.net	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
with	O
invalid	O
or	O
disabled	O
keys	O
remain	O
able	O
to	O
play	O
independently	O
of	O
battle.net,	O
such	O
as	O
in	O
single-player	O
mode	O
,	O
or	O
through	O
a	O
direct	O
connection	O
to	O
another	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
,	O
citing	O
security	O
and	O
piracy	O
concerns	O
on	O
their	O
webpage	O
about	O
emulation	B-Application
,	O
does	O
not	O
allow	O
battle.net	B-Operating_System
to	O
interoperate	O
with	O
bnetd	B-Application
servers	O
to	O
verify	O
CD	O
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
this	O
,	O
bnetd	B-Application
servers	O
do	O
not	O
implement	O
net	O
's	O
validation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
access	O
full	O
multiplayer	O
functionality	O
of	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
capable	O
games	O
without	O
a	O
valid	O
CD	O
key	O
,	O
by	O
connecting	O
to	O
a	O
bnetd	B-Application
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2002	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
filed	O
a	O
DMCA	O
safe	O
harbor	O
takedown	O
demand	O
against	O
bnetd	B-Application
with	O
their	O
Internet	O
service	O
provider	O
(	O
ISP	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
subsequently	O
filed	O
suit	O
against	O
the	O
developers	O
of	O
bnetd	B-Application
and	O
their	O
ISP	O
,	O
Internet	O
Gateway	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
District	O
Court	O
for	O
the	O
Eastern	O
District	O
of	O
Missouri	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Electronic	O
Frontier	O
Foundation	O
mounted	O
a	O
defense	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
defendants	O
denied	O
copying	O
any	O
portion	O
of	O
battle.net	B-Operating_System
or	O
Blizzard	O
games	O
,	O
denied	O
the	O
validity	O
of	O
the	O
battle.net	B-Operating_System
trademark	O
,	O
denied	O
that	O
CD	O
keys	O
are	O
an	O
anti-piracy	B-Application
measure	O
,	O
and	O
denied	O
that	O
bnetd	B-Application
is	O
a	O
circumvention	O
tool	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
appeals	O
court	O
further	O
ruled	O
that	O
bnetd	B-Application
circumvents	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
in	O
violation	O
of	O
the	O
DMCA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
bnetd	B-Application
developer	O
Ross	O
Combs	O
and	O
EFF	O
staff	O
attorney	O
Jason	O
Schultz	O
criticized	O
the	O
appeals	O
court	O
ruling	O
,	O
claiming	O
the	O
ruling	O
means	O
software	O
and	O
hardware	O
vendors	O
can	O
use	O
a	O
DMCA-EULA	O
combination	O
to	O
prevent	O
otherwise	O
lawful	O
reverse	O
engineering	O
and	O
chill	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
interoperable	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
the	O
litigation	O
,	O
the	O
bnetd.org	O
domain	O
was	O
transferred	O
to	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
control	O
pursuant	O
to	O
the	O
consent	O
decree	O
entered	O
during	O
the	O
trial	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Blizzard	O
won	O
the	O
case	O
,	O
the	O
lawsuit	O
did	O
not	O
stop	O
the	O
continued	O
distribution	O
of	O
bnetd	B-Application
's	O
open	O
source	O
code	O
,	O
nor	O
of	O
derivative	O
projects	O
such	O
as	O
PvPGN	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
PvPGN	B-Application
(	O
Player	O
vs	O
Player	O
Gaming	O
Network	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
free	O
and	O
open	O
source	O
software	O
project	O
offering	O
emulation	B-Application
of	O
various	O
gaming	O
network	O
servers	O
and	O
is	O
being	O
maintained	O
by	O
a	O
non-profit	O
organization	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stratagus	B-Application
is	O
a	O
free	O
software	O
real	O
time	O
strategy	O
engine	O
which	O
began	O
as	O
a	O
similar	O
project	O
of	O
reverse	O
engineering	O
Warcraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
under	O
the	O
name	O
FreeCraft	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
threatened	O
legal	O
action	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
halted	O
and	O
then	O
restarted	O
under	O
a	O
different	O
name	O
as	O
a	O
general	O
engine	O
project	O
,	O
though	O
Warcraft	O
II''	O
support	O
is	O
added	O
through	O
Wargus	B-Application
.	O
</s>
