To the MapleStory Community,
We want to speak with you directly about unauthorized private MapleStory servers, and about the steps Nexon is taking in response to them.
Our position
MapleStory and its associated content, including but not limited to the game client, server software, source code, art, characters, world design, and music, are the intellectual property of Nexon and are protected under copyright law. It is not allowed to operate a private MapleStory server that copies, modifies, and distributes that property without authorization. Operating such a server constitutes copyright infringement, and depending on the conduct involved may violate other applicable laws as well.
We are taking formal legal action
Nexon is pursuing formal legal action against the operators of unauthorized MapleStory servers, and is already producing results. A number of unauthorized servers have ceased operation, and additional matters are active and ongoing. We intend to continue this work for as long as it is necessary.
To anyone currently operating an unauthorized MapleStory server, please treat this as formal notice. We ask that you cease operation and remove all MapleStory content without delay. Operators who choose to continue should understand that we intend to identify them and to pursue the full range of remedies available to us.
What this means for players
Many of you playing on these servers are long-time MapleStory players, and we understand the attachment to older versions of the game and to the communities that formed around them. Rather than talk past you, we want to be straightforward about what participation actually involves.
Playing on an unauthorized server is not a neutral act. These servers run on copied and modified MapleStory software, and connecting to one requires downloading and running an unauthorized copy of our client. This is a violation of the MapleStory Terms of Service. Separately from our own terms, the use of unauthorized copies of copyrighted software can carry legal risk for the individual user, depending on the jurisdiction and on the circumstances involved. Our enforcement work is directed at the people who make these servers possible, and that includes the support structure around the operators, not only the operators themselves.
These servers also give you none of the protections you have on official service. Your account credentials, personal information, and any payments you make to an operator sit entirely outside our safeguards and outside our ability to assist you. And they are not a stable foundation. Our enforcement work is ongoing and expanding. Servers that look established today may not be operating tomorrow.
To learn more about Global MapleStory and Global MapleStory Classic World, please visit our official website HERE.
If you become aware of an unauthorized server distributing MapleStory content, please report it through our player support portal HERE. To those who have already taken the time to report unauthorized servers, thank you. Your efforts genuinely help protect the game and its community, and we hope you will continue to let us know.
Thank you,
- The MapleStory Team