BY SIGNING THIS PETITION, YOU'RE AGREEING THAT THE SUIT AGAINST R_E (aka Rancored_Elf of MTGsalvation.com) FILED BY WOTC SHOULD BE DROPPED. BELOW IS AN ARGUMENT AGAINST WIZARDS OF THE COAST'S REASONING FOR BRINGING A SUIT AGAISNT HIM. FOR MORE INFO SEE SAVETHEELF.ORG

Wizards of the Coast (and their parent company, Hasbro) have decided to take up a lawsuit against one of the most valued member to the Magic internet community in recent history/memory. R_E (aka. Rancored_Elf) has been providing players of the Magic: The Gathering trading card game with rumors about upcoming expansions for years now. Wizards would have the public believe that this is for the betterment of the game, as these rumors have somehow damaged their game or sales. Lets examine for a minute the effect of these rumors on sales.

In many cases, store owners will pre-order the products of Wizards of the Coast (including Magic: The Gathering) weeks to months ahead of time. They do this without any knowledge of how well the product will sell, or for that matter what exactly the product is. By releasing these rumors, Rancored_Elf put a firm foundation on what was to be expected from these upcoming sets. Now, if Wizards puts out a set with desirable cards, and these Leaks give R_E the information that he in turn reveals to the internet community of Magic players (the anxious public), the response would in fact be a positive one. Store-owners, perhaps the Leaks themselves, have a good idea of whats coming, and can prepare accordingly. If the cards arent worth selling, then they stay with their original pre-order (in theory) and there is NO MONEY LOST. If theyre good, then the pre-orders will increase, which only puts more money in Wizards collective pockets.

This suit also comes without any prior warning of R_Es actions being illegal. They claim that he is exposing trade secrets to the public. Now, lets examine the terms rumor and trade secret. A trade secret is information within a business that is connected to the health of that business. For example, the recipe for Grandma Pas Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookies would be a trade secret. If that recipe were revealed, then their business would ultimately suffer. But to be a trade secret, the knowledge has to be kept closely guarded and not well-known. This is where the distinction comes between a rumor and a trade secret. If R_E is being told by X amount of Leaks about this information, and certainly not all of the Leaks are Research and Development members, then the information has already be partially released to certain people. Those people then turn to R_E and give him the information they were given. That doesnt seem to constitute a closely guarded trade secret, but a rumor. And last I checked, one cannot be held liable for spreading a rumor that they didnt start.

The comparison Ill make in closing is a bit of a stretch, yet the similarity in a wide sense in undeniable logic. Ex-President of the United States Richard M. Nixon was caught in a little scandal called Watergate near the end of his presidency. There was a leak somewhere however, and the information on his illegal activities was released to the public, which ultimately ended in his impeachment/resignation of office. Now, was Deep Throat (the Watergate leaks alias) the one held responsible? No, the source was responsible. Richard M. Nixon is to Deep Throat what the Leaks/Sources of rumors are to R_E. R_E has a right to free speech, including the spreading of information that was given to him. The sources should be held responsible, not the messenger.