Activision Blizzard account lock and forced arbitration - Revision history

Bythmusters: Added cargo template

2026-01-13T06:14:34Z

Added cargo template

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			{{IncidentCargo
			\|Company=Activision Blizzard
			\|StartDate=2024-03-21
			\|EndDate=
			\|Status=Active
			\|ProductLine=
			\|Product=Battle.net
			\|ArticleType=Service
			\|Type=EULA, Terms of Service
			\|Description=A Battle.net update required users to accept forced arbitration terms or lose access to their account and game library.
			}}
	On 21 March 2024, [[Activision Blizzard]] blocked access to Blizzard services, requiring customers to accept [[forced arbitration]] terms in the updated Blizzard [[end-user license agreement]] (EULA).<ref>{{Cite web \|author= \|title=Blizzard End User License Agreement \|url=https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement \|website=Blizzard \|date=21 Mar 2024 \|access-date= \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225130154/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement \|archive-date=25 Dec 2024}}</ref> In effect, customers were prevented from accessing their account (including games licensed to them) until they accepted these terms.		On 21 March 2024, [[Activision Blizzard]] blocked access to Blizzard services, requiring customers to accept [[forced arbitration]] terms in the updated Blizzard [[end-user license agreement]] (EULA).<ref>{{Cite web \|author= \|title=Blizzard End User License Agreement \|url=https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement \|website=Blizzard \|date=21 Mar 2024 \|access-date= \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225130154/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement \|archive-date=25 Dec 2024}}</ref> In effect, customers were prevented from accessing their account (including games licensed to them) until they accepted these terms.

Sojourna: /* References */

2025-11-13T04:27:50Z

References

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:27, 13 November 2025
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	[[Category:Activision Blizzard]]		[[Category:Activision Blizzard]]
	[[Category:Forced ~~Arbitration~~]]		[[Category:Forced arbitration]]
	[[Category:Incidents]]		[[Category:Incidents]]
	[[Category:Digital rights management]]		[[Category:Digital rights management]]

Sojourna at 03:54, 13 November 2025

2025-11-13T03:54:34Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:54, 13 November 2025
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	On March ~~21,~~ 2024, [[Activision Blizzard]] blocked access to Blizzard services, requiring customers to accept [[~~Forced Arbitration\|~~forced arbitration]] terms in the updated Blizzard [[end-user license agreement]] (EULA)<ref>Blizzard End User License Agreement ~~written by Activision~~ Blizzard ~~last updated March~~ 21, 2024 [https://web.archive.org/web/20241225130154/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement ~~Archived] December~~ 25, 2024~~. Retrieved January 14, 2025.~~</ref>. In effect, customers were prevented from accessing their account (including games licensed to them) until they accepted these terms.		On 21 March 2024, [[Activision Blizzard]] blocked access to Blizzard services, requiring customers to accept [[forced arbitration]] terms in the updated Blizzard [[end-user license agreement]] (EULA).<ref>{{Cite web \|author= \|title=Blizzard End User License Agreement \|url=https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement \|website=Blizzard \|date=21 Mar 2024 \|access-date= \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225130154/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement \|archive-date=25 Dec 2024}}</ref> In effect, customers were prevented from accessing their account (including games licensed to them) until they accepted these terms.

	This change to the EULA constitutes an example of a [[EULA ~~roofie~~\|EULA ~~Roofie~~]].		This change to the EULA constitutes an example of a [[Hidden EULA language\|EULA roofie]].

	==Incident==		==Incident==
	[[File:Screenshot of the popup presented to users on Battle.net.png\|alt=A popup from Battle.net showing the following text: "Review Terms. By clicking Agree you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the Blizzard End User License Agreement and Blizzard Entertainment Online Privacy Policy."\|thumb\|The popup users were presented with. Clicking "Cancel" would log the user out.]]		[[File:Screenshot of the popup presented to users on Battle.net.png\|alt=A popup from Battle.net showing the following text: "Review Terms. By clicking Agree you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the Blizzard End User License Agreement and Blizzard Entertainment Online Privacy Policy."\|thumb\|The popup users were presented with. Clicking "Cancel" would log the user out.]]
	When logging in to Blizzard services (using the ''Battle.net'' game client or ''Blizzard.com''), a pop-up appeared asking users to review the Blizzard EULA and [[Privacy policy\|Privacy Policy]]. Dismissing the prompt would force the user to log out of their account, which would prevent access to all Blizzard services. Some users even could not access Blizzard Support.<ref>New EULA dated March 21, 2024 ~~a discussion on the public Blizzard forums under Starcraft 2 started by user Ecip-1680~~ https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315 ~~also [~~https://web.archive.org/web/20250115044227/https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315 ~~Archived] January 14, 2025. Retrieved January 14,~~ 2025.</ref>		When logging in to Blizzard services (using the ''Battle.net'' game client or ''Blizzard.com''), a pop-up appeared asking users to review the Blizzard EULA and [[Privacy policy\|Privacy Policy]]. Dismissing the prompt would force the user to log out of their account, which would prevent access to all Blizzard services. Some users even could not access Blizzard Support.<ref name="forum-discussion">{{Cite web \|author=Ecip-1680 \|title=New EULA dated March 21, 2024 \|url=https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315 \|website=Blizzard \|date=25 Mar 2024 \|access-date=12 Nov 2025 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115044227/https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315 \|archive-date=15 Jan 2025}}</ref>

	===Impact on access to customer support===		===Impact on access to customer support===
	A particularly problematic aspect of this situation was that customers could not access Blizzard Support to ask questions about the EULA without first accepting it.<ref name="forum-discussion"~~>New EULA dated March 21, 2024 forum discussion https:~~/~~/us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315</ref~~> This created a situation where users needed to agree to terms they had questions about, in order to ask questions about those terms.		A particularly problematic aspect of this situation was that customers could not access Blizzard Support to ask questions about the EULA without first accepting it.<ref name="forum-discussion" /> This created a situation where users needed to agree to terms they had questions about, in order to ask questions about those terms.

	===Terms of the new EULA===		===Terms of the new EULA===
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	Users who reject the EULA have limited recourse in refunds:<blockquote>IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO INSTALL, COPY, OR USE THE BLIZZARD PLATFORM OR GAMES. IF YOU REJECT THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT WITHIN FOURTEEN (14) DAYS AFTER YOUR PURCHASE OF A GAME FROM BLIZZARD, YOU MAY CONTACT BLIZZARD THROUGH <nowiki>https://us.battle.net/support/en/</nowiki> TO INQUIRE ABOUT A FULL REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THAT GAME.</blockquote>		Users who reject the EULA have limited recourse in refunds:<blockquote>IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO INSTALL, COPY, OR USE THE BLIZZARD PLATFORM OR GAMES. IF YOU REJECT THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT WITHIN FOURTEEN (14) DAYS AFTER YOUR PURCHASE OF A GAME FROM BLIZZARD, YOU MAY CONTACT BLIZZARD THROUGH <nowiki>https://us.battle.net/support/en/</nowiki> TO INQUIRE ABOUT A FULL REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THAT GAME.</blockquote>

	{{Important\|This clause would apply to any online services for games, such as Warcraft 3, which could be purchased as early as 2002.~~<ref>Wikipedia article on Warcraft III https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warcraft_III:_Reign_of_Chaos</ref>~~ Such purchases are far outside the 14-day refund window.}}		{{Important\|This clause would apply to any online services for games, such as ''{{Wplink\|Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos}}'', which could be purchased as early as 2002. Such purchases are far outside the 14-day refund window.}}

	===Historical context of clause===		===Historical context of clause===
	These clauses, as well as the legal actions they represent, are not new to the Blizzard EULA. Similar verbiage can be seen in previous versions of the EULA as far back as 2018.<ref>Blizzard End User License Agreement ~~written by Activision~~ Blizzard ~~last updated June~~ 1, 2018 [https://web.archive.org/web/20180919091644/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement ~~Archived] September~~ 19, 2018~~. Retrieved January 14, 2025.~~</ref>		These clauses, as well as the legal actions they represent, are not new to the Blizzard EULA. Similar verbiage can be seen in previous versions of the EULA as far back as 2018.<ref>{{Cite web
			\|author= \|title=Blizzard End User License Agreement \|url=https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement \|website=Blizzard \|date=1 Jun 2018 \|access-date= \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919091644/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement \|archive-date=19 Sep 2018}}</ref>

	===Impact on subscription services===		===Impact on subscription services===
	Active ''World of Warcraft'' subscribers were particularly affected by this change, as their subscriptions would continue to bill, despite subscribers being unable to access the service if they did not accept the new terms.<ref name="forum-discussion" /> This created a situation where users were being charged for a service they could not access unless they agreed to new legal terms.		Active ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' subscribers were particularly affected by this change, as their subscriptions would continue to bill, despite subscribers being unable to access the service if they did not accept the new terms.<ref name="forum-discussion" /> This created a situation where users were being charged for a service they could not access unless they agreed to new legal terms.

	==See also==		==See also==
	*[[Forced arbitration]]		*[[Forced arbitration]]
	*[[EULA ~~roofie~~]]		*[[Hidden EULA language]]
	*[[Game Platform Terms of Service]]		*[[Game Platform Terms of Service]]

	==References==		==References==
	~~<references />~~		{{Reflist}}

	[[Category:Activision Blizzard]]		[[Category:Activision Blizzard]]
	[[Category:Forced Arbitration]]		[[Category:Forced Arbitration]]

Beanie Bo: changed link

2025-10-09T15:38:11Z

changed link

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:38, 9 October 2025
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	On March 21, 2024, [[~~wikipedia:Activision_Blizzard\|~~Activision Blizzard]] blocked access to Blizzard services, requiring customers to accept [[Forced Arbitration\|forced arbitration]] terms in the updated Blizzard [[end-user license agreement]] (EULA)<ref>Blizzard End User License Agreement written by Activision Blizzard last updated March 21, 2024 [https://web.archive.org/web/20241225130154/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement Archived] December 25, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>. In effect, customers were prevented from accessing their account (including games licensed to them) until they accepted these terms.		On March 21, 2024, [[Activision Blizzard]] blocked access to Blizzard services, requiring customers to accept [[Forced Arbitration\|forced arbitration]] terms in the updated Blizzard [[end-user license agreement]] (EULA)<ref>Blizzard End User License Agreement written by Activision Blizzard last updated March 21, 2024 [https://web.archive.org/web/20241225130154/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement Archived] December 25, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>. In effect, customers were prevented from accessing their account (including games licensed to them) until they accepted these terms.

	This change to the EULA constitutes an example of a [[EULA roofie\|EULA Roofie]].		This change to the EULA constitutes an example of a [[EULA roofie\|EULA Roofie]].

ClippyFellow47: Minor grammar edit. Added a comma where it is mentioning how people had to agree to terms in order to ask questions about said terms.

2025-08-26T15:24:01Z

Minor grammar edit. Added a comma where it is mentioning how people had to agree to terms in order to ask questions about said terms.

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:24, 26 August 2025
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	===Impact on access to customer support===		===Impact on access to customer support===
	A particularly problematic aspect of this situation was that customers could not access Blizzard Support to ask questions about the EULA without first accepting it.<ref name="forum-discussion">New EULA dated March 21, 2024 forum discussion https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315</ref> This created a situation where users needed to agree to terms they had questions about in order to ask questions about those terms.		A particularly problematic aspect of this situation was that customers could not access Blizzard Support to ask questions about the EULA without first accepting it.<ref name="forum-discussion">New EULA dated March 21, 2024 forum discussion https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315</ref> This created a situation where users needed to agree to terms they had questions about, in order to ask questions about those terms.

	===Terms of the new EULA===		===Terms of the new EULA===

Mr Pollo: Removing under development template after months of no progress

2025-08-11T22:24:21Z

Removing under development template after months of no progress

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 On March 21, 2024, [[wikipedia:Activision_Blizzard|Activision Blizzard]] blocked access to Blizzard services, requiring customers to accept [[Forced Arbitration|forced arbitration]] terms in the updated Blizzard [[end-user license agreement]] (EULA)<ref>Blizzard End User License Agreement written by Activision Blizzard last updated March 21, 2024 [https://web.archive.org/web/20241225130154/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement Archived] December 25, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>. In effect, customers were prevented from accessing their account (including games licensed to them) until they accepted these terms.
@@ Line 44: / Line 36: @@
 [[Category:End-user license agreements]]
 [[Category:Articles based on videos]]

Mingyee: Proofreading

2025-01-30T13:56:41Z

Proofreading

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:56, 30 January 2025
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	}}		}}

	On March 21, 2024, [[wikipedia:Activision_Blizzard\|Activision Blizzard]] blocked access to Blizzard services, requiring customers to accept [[Forced Arbitration]] terms in the updated Blizzard ~~End User License Agreement~~ (EULA)<ref>Blizzard End User License Agreement written by Activision Blizzard last updated March 21, 2024 [https://web.archive.org/web/20241225130154/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement Archived] December 25, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>. In effect, customers were prevented from accessing their account (including games licensed to them) until they accepted these terms.		On March 21, 2024, [[wikipedia:Activision_Blizzard\|Activision Blizzard]] blocked access to Blizzard services, requiring customers to accept [[Forced Arbitration\|forced arbitration]] terms in the updated Blizzard [[end-user license agreement]] (EULA)<ref>Blizzard End User License Agreement written by Activision Blizzard last updated March 21, 2024 [https://web.archive.org/web/20241225130154/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement Archived] December 25, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>. In effect, customers were prevented from accessing their account (including games licensed to them) until they accepted these terms.

	~~The~~ EULA constitutes an example of a [[EULA roofie\|EULA Roofie]].		This change to the EULA constitutes an example of a [[EULA roofie\|EULA Roofie]].

	==Incident==		==Incident==
	[[File:Screenshot of the popup presented to users on Battle.net.png\|alt=A popup from Battle.net showing the following text: "Review Terms. By clicking Agree you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the Blizzard End User License Agreement and Blizzard Entertainment Online Privacy Policy."\|thumb\|The popup users were presented with. Clicking "Cancel" would log the user out.]]		[[File:Screenshot of the popup presented to users on Battle.net.png\|alt=A popup from Battle.net showing the following text: "Review Terms. By clicking Agree you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the Blizzard End User License Agreement and Blizzard Entertainment Online Privacy Policy."\|thumb\|The popup users were presented with. Clicking "Cancel" would log the user out.]]
	When logging in to Blizzard services (using the ''Battle.net'' game client or ''Blizzard.com''), a pop-up appeared asking users to review the Blizzard EULA and Privacy Policy. Dismissing the prompt would force the user to log out of their account~~. Doing so prevented~~ access to all Blizzard services~~, with some~~ users ~~stating they~~ could not access Blizzard Support.<ref>New EULA dated March 21, 2024 a discussion on the public Blizzard forums under Starcraft 2 started by user Ecip-1680 https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315 also [https://web.archive.org/web/20250115044227/https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315 Archived] January 14, 2025. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>		When logging in to Blizzard services (using the ''Battle.net'' game client or ''Blizzard.com''), a pop-up appeared asking users to review the Blizzard EULA and [[Privacy policy\|Privacy Policy]]. Dismissing the prompt would force the user to log out of their account, which would prevent access to all Blizzard services. Some users even could not access Blizzard Support.<ref>New EULA dated March 21, 2024 a discussion on the public Blizzard forums under Starcraft 2 started by user Ecip-1680 https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315 also [https://web.archive.org/web/20250115044227/https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315 Archived] January 14, 2025. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>

	===Impact on customer support ~~access~~===		===Impact on access to customer support===
	A particularly problematic aspect of this situation was that customers could not access Blizzard Support to ask questions about the EULA without first accepting it.<ref name="forum-discussion">New EULA dated March 21, 2024 forum discussion https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315</ref> This created a situation where users needed to agree to terms they had questions about in order to ask questions about those terms.		A particularly problematic aspect of this situation was that customers could not access Blizzard Support to ask questions about the EULA without first accepting it.<ref name="forum-discussion">New EULA dated March 21, 2024 forum discussion https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315</ref> This created a situation where users needed to agree to terms they had questions about in order to ask questions about those terms.

	===Terms of the new EULA===		===Terms of the new EULA===
	The new Blizzard EULA starts with the following clause in bold, binding users to [[~~Forced Arbitration~~]]:<blockquote>'''THIS AGREEMENT CONTAINS A BINDING ARBITRATION AGREEMENT AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER IN THE SECTION TITLED "DISPUTE RESOLUTION." THIS AGREEMENT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO ANY "DISPUTE" BETWEEN YOU AND BLIZZARD AND MAY REQUIRE YOU TO RESOLVE DISPUTES IN BINDING, INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION, AND NOT IN COURT.'''</blockquote>		The new Blizzard EULA starts with the following clause in bold, binding users to [[forced arbitration]]:<blockquote>'''THIS AGREEMENT CONTAINS A BINDING ARBITRATION AGREEMENT AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER IN THE SECTION TITLED "DISPUTE RESOLUTION." THIS AGREEMENT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO ANY "DISPUTE" BETWEEN YOU AND BLIZZARD AND MAY REQUIRE YOU TO RESOLVE DISPUTES IN BINDING, INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION, AND NOT IN COURT.'''</blockquote>

	Users who reject the EULA have limited recourse in refunds:<blockquote>IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO INSTALL, COPY, OR USE THE BLIZZARD PLATFORM OR GAMES. IF YOU REJECT THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT WITHIN FOURTEEN (14) DAYS AFTER YOUR PURCHASE OF A GAME FROM BLIZZARD, YOU MAY CONTACT BLIZZARD THROUGH <nowiki>https://us.battle.net/support/en/</nowiki> TO INQUIRE ABOUT A FULL REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THAT GAME.</blockquote>		Users who reject the EULA have limited recourse in refunds:<blockquote>IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO INSTALL, COPY, OR USE THE BLIZZARD PLATFORM OR GAMES. IF YOU REJECT THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT WITHIN FOURTEEN (14) DAYS AFTER YOUR PURCHASE OF A GAME FROM BLIZZARD, YOU MAY CONTACT BLIZZARD THROUGH <nowiki>https://us.battle.net/support/en/</nowiki> TO INQUIRE ABOUT A FULL REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THAT GAME.</blockquote>
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	These clauses, as well as the legal actions they represent, are not new to the Blizzard EULA. Similar verbiage can be seen in previous versions of the EULA as far back as 2018.<ref>Blizzard End User License Agreement written by Activision Blizzard last updated June 1, 2018 [https://web.archive.org/web/20180919091644/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement Archived] September 19, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>		These clauses, as well as the legal actions they represent, are not new to the Blizzard EULA. Similar verbiage can be seen in previous versions of the EULA as far back as 2018.<ref>Blizzard End User License Agreement written by Activision Blizzard last updated June 1, 2018 [https://web.archive.org/web/20180919091644/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement Archived] September 19, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>

	===~~Subscription~~ services ~~impact~~===		===Impact on subscription services===
	Active World of Warcraft subscribers were particularly affected by this change, as their subscriptions would continue to bill despite being unable to access the service if they did not accept the new terms.<ref name="forum-discussion" /> This created a situation where users were being charged for a service they could not access unless they agreed to new legal terms.		Active ''World of Warcraft'' subscribers were particularly affected by this change, as their subscriptions would continue to bill, despite subscribers being unable to access the service if they did not accept the new terms.<ref name="forum-discussion" /> This created a situation where users were being charged for a service they could not access unless they agreed to new legal terms.

	==See also==		==See also==
	*[[Forced ~~Arbitration~~]]		*[[Forced arbitration]]
	*[[EULA roofie]]		*[[EULA roofie]]
	*[[Game Platform Terms of Service]]		*[[Game Platform Terms of Service]]

Mingyee: Mingyee moved page Activision Blizzard Account Lock and Forced Arbitration to Activision Blizzard account lock and forced arbitration: Misspelled title: Not in sentence case

2025-01-30T13:52:12Z

Mingyee moved page Activision Blizzard Account Lock and Forced Arbitration to Activision Blizzard account lock and forced arbitration: Misspelled title: Not in sentence case

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:52, 30 January 2025
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Kostas: add category

2025-01-28T17:44:47Z

add category

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	[[Category:Digital rights management]]		[[Category:Digital rights management]]
	[[Category:End-user license agreements]]		[[Category:End-user license agreements]]
			[[Category:Articles based on videos]]

Shingo: Fixed headings to comply with the new style guide https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/CAT:Documentation/Style_Guide

2025-01-22T15:35:24Z

Fixed headings to comply with the new style guide https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/CAT:Documentation/Style_Guide

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:35, 22 January 2025
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	The EULA constitutes an example of a [[EULA roofie\|EULA Roofie]].		The EULA constitutes an example of a [[EULA roofie\|EULA Roofie]].

	== Incident ==		==Incident==
	[[File:Screenshot of the popup presented to users on Battle.net.png\|alt=A popup from Battle.net showing the following text: "Review Terms. By clicking Agree you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the Blizzard End User License Agreement and Blizzard Entertainment Online Privacy Policy."\|thumb\|The popup users were presented with. Clicking "Cancel" would log the user out.]]		[[File:Screenshot of the popup presented to users on Battle.net.png\|alt=A popup from Battle.net showing the following text: "Review Terms. By clicking Agree you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the Blizzard End User License Agreement and Blizzard Entertainment Online Privacy Policy."\|thumb\|The popup users were presented with. Clicking "Cancel" would log the user out.]]
	When logging in to Blizzard services (using the ''Battle.net'' game client or ''Blizzard.com''), a pop-up appeared asking users to review the Blizzard EULA and Privacy Policy. Dismissing the prompt would force the user to log out of their account. Doing so prevented access to all Blizzard services, with some users stating they could not access Blizzard Support.<ref>New EULA dated March 21, 2024 a discussion on the public Blizzard forums under Starcraft 2 started by user Ecip-1680 https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315 also [https://web.archive.org/web/20250115044227/https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315 Archived] January 14, 2025. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>		When logging in to Blizzard services (using the ''Battle.net'' game client or ''Blizzard.com''), a pop-up appeared asking users to review the Blizzard EULA and Privacy Policy. Dismissing the prompt would force the user to log out of their account. Doing so prevented access to all Blizzard services, with some users stating they could not access Blizzard Support.<ref>New EULA dated March 21, 2024 a discussion on the public Blizzard forums under Starcraft 2 started by user Ecip-1680 https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315 also [https://web.archive.org/web/20250115044227/https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315 Archived] January 14, 2025. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>

	=== Impact on ~~Customer Support Access~~ ===		===Impact on customer support access===
	A particularly problematic aspect of this situation was that customers could not access Blizzard Support to ask questions about the EULA without first accepting it.<ref name="forum-discussion">New EULA dated March 21, 2024 forum discussion https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315</ref> This created a situation where users needed to agree to terms they had questions about in order to ask questions about those terms.		A particularly problematic aspect of this situation was that customers could not access Blizzard Support to ask questions about the EULA without first accepting it.<ref name="forum-discussion">New EULA dated March 21, 2024 forum discussion https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/sc2/t/new-eula-dated-march-21-2024/28315</ref> This created a situation where users needed to agree to terms they had questions about in order to ask questions about those terms.

	=== Terms of the ~~New~~ EULA ===		===Terms of the new EULA===
	The new Blizzard EULA starts with the following clause in bold, binding users to [[Forced Arbitration]]:<blockquote>'''THIS AGREEMENT CONTAINS A BINDING ARBITRATION AGREEMENT AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER IN THE SECTION TITLED "DISPUTE RESOLUTION." THIS AGREEMENT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO ANY "DISPUTE" BETWEEN YOU AND BLIZZARD AND MAY REQUIRE YOU TO RESOLVE DISPUTES IN BINDING, INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION, AND NOT IN COURT.'''</blockquote>		The new Blizzard EULA starts with the following clause in bold, binding users to [[Forced Arbitration]]:<blockquote>'''THIS AGREEMENT CONTAINS A BINDING ARBITRATION AGREEMENT AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER IN THE SECTION TITLED "DISPUTE RESOLUTION." THIS AGREEMENT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO ANY "DISPUTE" BETWEEN YOU AND BLIZZARD AND MAY REQUIRE YOU TO RESOLVE DISPUTES IN BINDING, INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION, AND NOT IN COURT.'''</blockquote>

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	{{Important\|This clause would apply to any online services for games, such as Warcraft 3, which could be purchased as early as 2002.<ref>Wikipedia article on Warcraft III https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warcraft_III:_Reign_of_Chaos</ref> Such purchases are far outside the 14-day refund window.}}		{{Important\|This clause would apply to any online services for games, such as Warcraft 3, which could be purchased as early as 2002.<ref>Wikipedia article on Warcraft III https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warcraft_III:_Reign_of_Chaos</ref> Such purchases are far outside the 14-day refund window.}}

	=== Historical ~~Context~~ of ~~Clause~~ ===		===Historical context of clause===
	These clauses, as well as the legal actions they represent, are not new to the Blizzard EULA. Similar verbiage can be seen in previous versions of the EULA as far back as 2018.<ref>Blizzard End User License Agreement written by Activision Blizzard last updated June 1, 2018 [https://web.archive.org/web/20180919091644/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement Archived] September 19, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>		These clauses, as well as the legal actions they represent, are not new to the Blizzard EULA. Similar verbiage can be seen in previous versions of the EULA as far back as 2018.<ref>Blizzard End User License Agreement written by Activision Blizzard last updated June 1, 2018 [https://web.archive.org/web/20180919091644/https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/blizzard-end-user-license-agreement Archived] September 19, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2025.</ref>

	=== Subscription ~~Services Impact~~ ===		===Subscription services impact===
	Active World of Warcraft subscribers were particularly affected by this change, as their subscriptions would continue to bill despite being unable to access the service if they did not accept the new terms.<ref name="forum-discussion" /> This created a situation where users were being charged for a service they could not access unless they agreed to new legal terms.		Active World of Warcraft subscribers were particularly affected by this change, as their subscriptions would continue to bill despite being unable to access the service if they did not accept the new terms.<ref name="forum-discussion" /> This created a situation where users were being charged for a service they could not access unless they agreed to new legal terms.

	== See ~~Also~~ ==		==See also==
	* [[Forced Arbitration]]		*[[Forced Arbitration]]
	* [[EULA roofie]]		*[[EULA roofie]]
	* [[Game Platform Terms of Service]]		*[[Game Platform Terms of Service]]

	== References ==		==References==
	<references />		<references />
	[[Category:Activision Blizzard]]		[[Category:Activision Blizzard]]