re: undisputed (part ii)
Following a formal appeal of his tourban, the TDs have reviewed undisputed's case, as well as the rules surrounding WCOP.
Based on the logs of undisputed's communications with the TD team, it was clear that he attempted to use a VPN to manipulate the qualification process of WCOP. While he had not yet signed up for the region he was spoofing, he requested guarantees from the TD team that he could play for the region in question and proof that he could screenshot, and made direct statements that he intended to play for the region in question. In addition to operating on a proxy being against the forum rules, these types of offenses are especially significant during WCOP. With eligibility being contingent upon location and verified by IPs, faking an IP address during the eligibility process undermines the integrity of the tournament.
However, while previous editions of WCOP did have strong admonitions against faking an IP address in order to qualify for a region (including specifying both tourbans and bans from WCOP as explicit punishment for these actions), such rules have never before been enforced prior to the tour's commencement. While WCOP is unique in that much of the qualification process for the tour takes place before the tour actually begins, there was a lack of any rules or precedent for administering tourbans prior to signing up in a tour.
Based on the above, the TD team unanimously felt that undisputed's conduct was significant enough to bar him from participation in this edition of WCOP. His proxy use also violates Smogon's forum rules, and deserves an infraction. The TD team has also decided to draft a formal rule clarifying what constitutes participation in a tour such as WCOP. However, as this rule was not yet enacted when undisputed's actions took place, we have decided not to retroactively enforce this rule.
RESULT: undisputed will not be permitted to participate in WCOP 2018 . He will be issued a two-point forum infraction for proxy use. His tourban will be removed.
In addition, the TD team has officially clarified that in the case of WCOP, actively participating in the eligibility process (such as by requesting proof of eligibility from TDs) constitutes a willingness to abide by the tournament's rules. Purposefully falsifying IP addresses and other location data (including but not limited to use of VPNs/proxies or having third parties log into your Smogon account) will result in a three month tournament ban and potentially a permanent WCOP ban, depending on the severity of the actions.