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China’s General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) posted on its official website the World of Warcraft (Shangai) application has been canceled and expects EaseNet to halt the creation of new WoW accounts and the monetizing the service. In a worst case scenario I guess they might have to operate free of charge, but it is uncertain what's happening next.
It seems the rejection of Burning Crusade is in response to the violation of GAPP's terms which specified EaseNet was forbidden to charge players without authorization and accepted registration of new users since September 19th without GAPP's permission. Only previously registered players should have been participants of the Burning Crusade beta and post-beta. GAPP is studying whether to impose penalties for this violation. For now the application has been returned. NetEase informed it has not been reached yet by GAPP to inform their decision. The next chapter in this soap opera is likely happening in upcoming days.
It seems the rejection of Burning Crusade is in response to the violation of GAPP's terms which specified EaseNet was forbidden to charge players without authorization and accepted registration of new users since September 19th without GAPP's permission. Only previously registered players should have been participants of the Burning Crusade beta and post-beta. GAPP is studying whether to impose penalties for this violation. For now the application has been returned. NetEase informed it has not been reached yet by GAPP to inform their decision. The next chapter in this soap opera is likely happening in upcoming days.
NetEase.com Announcement Regarding Statement by the General Administration of Press and Publication With Respect to World of Warcraft(R)
BEIJING, Nov. 2 -- NetEase.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTES), one of China's leading Internet and online game services providers, today announced that the General Administration of Press and Publication ("GAPP") of the PRC government has posted on its official website a statement that the current operation of the World of Warcraft(R) in China by NetEase's affiliated company, Shanghai EaseNet Network Technology Limited ("Shanghai EaseNet"), is being conducted without proper approval from GAPP. The statement further indicates that GAPP is returning Shanghai EaseNet's application for approval and Shanghai EaseNet should suspend charging users to play the game and not allow new account registrations. GAPP also notes in its statement that it is evaluating whether to impose administrative penalties on Shanghai EaseNet. As of the time of this press release, neither NetEase nor Shanghai EaseNet has been officially notified of GAPP's determination. Shanghai EaseNet licenses World of Warcraft(R), a massively multi-player online role-playing game, for operation in China from Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
NetEase and Shanghai EaseNet believe that they are in full compliance with applicable PRC laws and are currently seeking clarification from the relevant governmental authorities regarding this statement by GAPP. NetEase will provide further updates on the statement by GAPP as appropriate.
Filed under: General News
