CCP Publicly Endorses Miner Bumping

(This post has been updated with further information and further glory to the New Order. See below.)

We've talked a lot about space lawyers, people who confidently assert their interpretation of the EULA, even when it contradicts CCP's. The most common mistake space lawyers make is the assumption that bumping miners must be against the EULA, and that they can get the New Order permabanned from the game. Space law schools are turning out a lot of graduates these days, and it seems every other day a brand new one appears to tell us our business is illegal.

I estimate that more than 500 separate petitions have been filed against Agents of the New Order. Every one of those petitions has been denied. However, CCP has always shied away from publicly affirming the legitimacy of miner bumping--until now.

It began with a simple post on EVE-O entitled "Miner bumpers and suicide gankers..." posted by Remiel Pollard.

I invite you to the Osnins constellation, particularly the Halle system, to stir up some trouble. Seriously, it's like a ghost town out here. I'm ratting a 'roid field right now and there are three barges sitting here doing nothing, there is a noob Heron sitting here... doing nothing. They've been doing nothing for near on five minutes now, and this is COMMON to find in these systems. So I am inviting you to come and stir trouble at your own convenience. Have fun!!

It's noteworthy that miner bumping is mentioned in the same breath as suicide ganking--in fact, before it. Prior to the New Order, organized miner bumping simply did not exist. Now it is an accepted part of highsec life. Anyway, a few replies down the thread, a member of the CCP staff chimed in:

Developer CCP Eterne made a harmless joke. But because he used the word "griefing" to describe miner bumping and suicide ganking, some EVE pilots became alarmed. Greifing can refer to a practice that violates the EULA, but it can also be used informally to describe a practice that causes grief. In some games, any combat outside of mutually-agreed-upon PvP would be called griefing. This is why people sometimes say things like "griefing is allowed, even encouraged, in EVE Online". Eterne clarified.

Eterne confirmed that he didn't use the word "griefing" to mean a EULA violation. Then he went a step further: "It's not a petitionable action." Like suicide ganking, miner bumping is not a petitionable action!

There was no mistaking it: An official representative of CCP publicly stated that bumping miners is not petitionable. Now we can put all those space lawyers out of business! When they begin plying their trade, simply link this MinerBumping post and let them spin out of control.

*** UPDATE *** In response to this post, CCP has gone a step further toward making it totally clear that bumping miners is legitimate. No less than developer CCP Falcon himself had the following to say in this post:

So, I just spoke to the GM Team regarding this to get some clarification:

Firstly, people who are bumped always have the right to petition. It is the right of any player who feels that they want to petition an issue to do so.

However, with regards to the rules in EVE Online our current view is:

- Bumping is not considered harassment.
- Bumping is not considered griefing.
- Bumping is not against the rules.

It's actually been used for a long time to prevent warping as a rudimentary form of tackling when you don't have a point, or don't have sufficient disruption strength to keep someone pinned.

Along with that, the people that are doing this for the best part are in player corporations. If you don't like what they're doing, declare war on them so that you can punish them, or pay a merc corp to do so on your behalf if you don't want to fight.

There are plenty of options to counter this, if you use your imagination.

So there you have it! The New Order is legal, always has been, and always will be. Cue the tears of space lawyers everywhere.