Authenticators to be required to play WoW?

[--Pete]

Hi,

Wrong. The product is sold and offered in the Netherlands. So Dutch law applies.

I didn't say that Dutch law didn't apply. I said that, unless the servers are in the Netherlands, Dutch law is moot. While a citizen of the Netherlands could, conceivably, initiate a suit in the Netherlands against Blizzard for requiring authenticators, unless Blizzard has a presence there, they do not have to respond. I do not think there is anything equivalent to extradition for civil suits. So, for a suit to have any effect, it must be brought where the entity being sued have a presence.

The Netherlands can ban or limit the importation of Blizzard, or even Vivendi, products. It can put requirements on those products it allows. But that is about the limit of what it can do. And, in turn, Blizzard could simply stop selling and supporting its products there.

So, I'm not denigrating Dutch law. I'm simply pointing out the limitations (which apply to all countries) of civil remedies across national borders.

--Pete