I have read a couple of blurbs from developers of some of the addons. There seems to be a thought passing around that an "addon" is somehow that developer's "intellectual property". My take on this is that Blizzard is finally getting around to nerf this idea and I think they have every right to do so. Again, my thinking, but an addon is a deriative work of an already established work. The courts debated this many years ago and conceded that you can not take a portion of a picture and change the color of the hair in that pic and claim it as your own. The addons could not exist without the original work and that work belongs to Blizzard lock, stock, tauren.

All the addons that I use are free of charge. If i want to tip the author, that is my choice. I use Auctioneer. I dont think I could live without my auctioneer. I also use Mob Info another little jewel that has become so much a part of my realm life. I thank each and every developer for these and other addons that i cant live without. But I do not expect them to make a living off my tips. LOL Trust me! They would starve! I dont think the developers are attempting to make a living by developing addons. This is a hobby to them and fun for them...or they wouldnt do it. The money is just a way of keeping score. Its neat to get paid for something you enjoy! I seriously doubt the majority of developers are gonna stop making addons just because Blizzard wants to flex its copyright muscle. Personally, I think its just a "heads up" step that Blizzard is making to avoid bigger issues down the line. If nothing else, it forces constructive,educational conversation like this forum.