[Bush2000]

This is BS. The DMCA, even as bad as it is, allows reverse engineering for purposes of interoperability. In this specific case, interoperability with other game servers.

Do you bother to even read these articles? They're not talking about interop. They're talking about "reverse engineering Blizzard Entertainment's video games to improve their playability." In other words, to gain an advantage over other players and essentially compromise the integrity of Blizzard's service. Here's an example: You hack Starcraft so that your ships can move twice as fast or hyperjump to random locations of your choosing. Because you've taken an advantage that isn't available to other players, those players would consider it cheating and wouldn't want to play. Why would they? It isn't fair. Consequently, Blizzard is arguing that they will lose money when people start defecting in frustration.

Ever since it came out, the DMCA has been used as a cudgel for big business to restrict competition and fair use. Even though it hasn't been legally effective in every case, it can still be used as a deterrent -- not everybody has the money to defend themselves

This isn't about restricting competition and fair use. It's about protecting Blizzard's ability to provide a service that its customers would want to use. Hacking that service in order to cheat causes Blizzard's offering to be devalued. Only the most strident anti-business bigots can't see that...

[antiRepublicrat]

They're not talking about interop.

"The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis ruled Thursday that federal law--specifically, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act--disallows players from altering Blizzard games to link with servers other than the company's official Battle.net site."

That's interoperability. Also,

The 8th Circuit also cited a contractual agreement that Combs and Crittenden OK'd when installing Blizzard software. That agreement prohibits reverse-engineering.

That prohibition should not be enforceable since it conflicts with current law allowing reverse-engineering for interoperability or research purposes.

[glaseatr]

Here's an example: You hack Starcraft so that your ships can move twice as fast

That is a very accurate statement. I hate it when I run into guys playing Starcraft on another server. They build armies twice as fast as I can. And I hate losing.