Originally Posted by Slilialumen
While I understand the annoyance at WOWMATRIX for sucking bandwidth, and I agree author information should have always been included and accessable, it does not change the facts.
BLIZZ addon developement rules require:
1) Add-ons must be free of charge.
a. All add-ons must be distributed free of charge.
b. Developers may not create "premium" versions of add-ons with additional for-pay features, charge money to download an add-on, charge for services related to the add-on, or otherwise require some form of monetary compensation to download or access an add-on.
So if someone comes up with a better client (i.e. WOWMATRIX) for people to use to update their addons, they have every right in the world to do it. If you block them you are violating 1) a. Free Distribution.
In addition the Curse Client, with its Pay for version clearly violates the underlined section of 1) b. no charges for additional services (updating).
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You are confusing
distributed free of charge with
free distribution. Two very different concepts. Distributed free of charge means I can't charge any money for my addon. I can still hold all the distribution rights, not allowing anyone
other than me to distribute the addon.
Also you clearly lack a basic understanding of free distribution. Even if all addons were free distribution
which they are not, that would only mean that WoWMatrix would have the right to distribute them
themselves NOT make WoWInterface do it for them.
When distributing Free Software, the host can impose any limitations on that distribution they so choose (provided it does not interfere with the license), including what clients can be used to access that content e.g. no spiders (such as WoWMatrix). They cannot stop others from hosting (but WoWMatrix wasn't, and its all moot, because addons are not free distribution).