Blizzard was lucky DotA was created, its their fault they didn't take advantage of that. Icefrog has every right to do whatever he wants with it. There has always been a separation between Blizzard and the community. Hopefully this wakes up their eyes.
You don't need to "take advantage" of something to acknowledge that it exists.
I don't even know where to start pointing out all the myriad of things that are wrong with what you just said.
Firstly, they aren't giving their assets away. The assets aren't a gift. The assets are still the intellectual property of Blizzard, as is the wc3 engine, editor and anything you create with the wc3 editor.
Secondly, it doesn't matter if they used the wc3 editor or not. For a start when DotA was first made, there weren't any third party editors available. Secondly, nothing in DotA was complicated enough to warrant more than what the standard editor provided, so this whole point is just speculation.
Lastly, do you really think Icefrog, who neither made the map, nor any of the assets involved in the map, is more entitled to the deeds over a) the people who actually made DotA or b) the people who made the assets and tools used to make DotA?
And there'd be no DotA if the creators didn't.. well.. create it. Besides, Aeon of Strife gametypes have been around a lot longer then WC3, so no Blizzard really has no stake. Just because somebody used their editor to make something, doesn't mean they have a right and take it over. Blizzard's just being greedy, trying to take other peoples work and pawn it off as their own.
Greedy by providing all their game assets, art and effort into an easily usable format for their playerbase to tinker with. I see.
Also yes, there'd be no DotA if the creators didn't create it. The creators aren't filing for the name, however. Valve is. Oh and, Icefrog didn't make DotA, before you suggest that him working for Valve gives them a similar claim.
You don't need to "take advantage" of something to acknowledge that it exists.
If Microsoft designed the engine, all the artwork and modelled all the units for Blizzard, yeah, your example would make sense.
P.s. Blizzard partnered with Activision in 2007. WC3 was released in 2002, and TFT in '03.
I don't even know where to start pointing out all the myriad of things that are wrong with what you just said.
Firstly, they aren't giving their assets away. The assets aren't a gift. The assets are still the intellectual property of Blizzard, as is the wc3 engine, editor and anything you create with the wc3 editor.
Secondly, it doesn't matter if they used the wc3 editor or not. For a start when DotA was first made, there weren't any third party editors available. Secondly, nothing in DotA was complicated enough to warrant more than what the standard editor provided, so this whole point is just speculation.
Lastly, do you really think Icefrog, who neither made the map, nor any of the assets involved in the map, is more entitled to the deeds over a) the people who actually made DotA or b) the people who made the assets and tools used to make DotA?
Greedy by providing all their game assets, art and effort into an easily usable format for their playerbase to tinker with. I see.
Also yes, there'd be no DotA if the creators didn't create it. The creators aren't filing for the name, however. Valve is. Oh and, Icefrog didn't make DotA, before you suggest that him working for Valve gives them a similar claim.
Fact is there'd be no DotA if not for Blizzard's Warcraft series. Chicken and egg.
Blizzard have a stake in this.