First, to Jack Thompson, I am surprised he is kind of saying nothing is wrong with Mass Effect. I guess that even means that Thompson is either cooling himself because of his own legal troubles, or he legitemately sees no threat to Mass Effect.
When someone who is known for criticizing games criticizes a NEWS outlet for saying false information on games, then there is something wrong.
As for you, Silent Player, to answer your questions, here is a minor history lessons.
First off, property is owned by the one who claims it, be it land or resources. Now in the past, you killed or stole from the one who owns property so you can gain it yourself, in todays modern world, there are laws safeguarding that. I can't go into a brewery and steal hops and secret recipies because it is the intellectual property of the brewers, and illegal to do so. Simply put, everything is owned, and now almost everything is protected.
Second, the reasons patents and copyright infringement laws exist now is so that no one can claim to anything, thereby causing confusion and distrust in any product.
Now, you wanted some proof of this, here you go. In 1787, Pennsylvania farmers who manufactured and distilled whiskey were getting outraged by the new U.S government, because the U.S government was not helping them protect their products. There was a demand for drinking, yes, but there was also no originality, almost 90% of the whiskey coming from Pennsylvania was in essence, the same formula, because the brewers stole the formulas that worked. Now since everyone had the same tasting whiskey, people began to notice this, and looked for alternatives. This led to a drop in sales, and due to poor planning under the articles of confederation, and the lack of a stable tax rebate system, as the Federal bank was not in effect yet, the farmers revolted against the U.S government.
Or how about a more archaic example, it fits even more. During the late middle ages and Renissance period, the formation of guilds was common practice because it was socially and economically a good idea to join one. The reasons are simple, actually. One, people trusted guild products because they know they were crafted well, made in mass production, and not, essentially, flimsy. Two, they know that there are numerous different styles that are taught in the guild, so it is unlikely that two baskets will look the same, unless they are made for the same purpose. Lastly, the guild also supports the community via charities on shanty shrines, chruch offerings, and even participation in the local governments.
Now supposed our basketmaker acts upon his own, creating similar designs as these guild members but is outside of the guild, and has no intention of joining them. He could make similar quality, lower quality, even new designs if he likes, but four things could happen. Legally at this time, he could be fined or jailed for a violation of the guild code, he would likely not sell as much because he is not under the guild "brand", so to speak, and, in all honesty, he could be put to death by guild members who would take revenge on him. Gruesome it is to act alone, which is why the guild system thrived until the industrial age.
My point's the same though, there is a certian code of conduct and the laws created in both the past and present are made this way to reflect that code, and to protect a person when creating the wares we use for recreation or living. I frankly don't give a fuck if you make a diet coke better than coke does, it is still illegal and you are violating a law that legally protects coca-cola. And in the case of Mass Effect, EA has a strong case of a libel violation against Fox News, and while on paper they seem different, the laws all have the same goal in the end, to protect property from the individual who created it.
