Morrowind

New distribution permissions options for all files

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The recent launch of New Vegas and the gold rush style race there's been to get a lot of the great mods from Fallout 3 converted over to New Vegas has raised the growing concern the staff have had recently regarding the use and/or redistribution of other author's work by members of this community and how difficult it is to ascertain a mod author's wishes.

Before I go on I'd like to remind everyone that converting other author's work from Fallout 3 to New Vegas is strictly forbidden right now unless the author has specifically given permission for you to do it.

All the staff at the Nexus are extremely pro modders rights. That means if you make something from scratch, such as textures, meshes, animations or scripts then these belong to you and you can do whatever you want with them. It means you get to choose how, where and when your files get distributed. It also means that other users don't have the right to do whatever they want with your assets unless you specifically say so.

Many mod authors give specifics about what permission they give to everyone in regards to modifying their work or redistributing it in their mod description or ReadMe but a lot don't and then get upset when others "steal" their work and use it in their own mods.

The changes implemented today are a step towards trying to rectify this issue by asking file owners to specifically state how they would like their file assets to be used and redistributed. It also gives plenty of room for mod authors to explain things in much more detail. These changes will greatly help everyone to better understand the permission issues on the site and will make staff actions against thieves much easier and much quicker to action.

You can find the new "Distribution permission" settings when adding a new file or by editing any of your already uploaded files by going to "Manage files" then "Edit attributes".

There are also pink warning boxes galore informing new authors of the most regular pitfalls and a new tickbox you have to agree to before you can upload new files to the site insuring the files you upload belong to you or that you have permission to upload them. There are no excuses now people.

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  1. bben46
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    @mrflesh:
    I find it ironic that someone who has NO mods posted on any Nexus site feels they must tell those who do what the rules should be. And tells the staff how they should be interpreting those rules. Then calling their demands 'opinion'. When you insist something is wrong and should be fixed it is a demand and not an opinion.

    For some reason you seem to be the only one who holds this particular 'opinion' (herein defined as your interpretation of 'our' rules). Normally when one finds oneself in a minority of one in a forum that is read by hundreds of members, it's time to reconsider that 'opinion'.

    Here are the facts:
    We have not changed our rules.
    We have not changed our policy (how we interpret and enforce those rules)

    What Dark0ne did was expand his explanation because of the sheer number of copy/paste so called mods (ports) from FO3 to FONV that were being done by people who did not understand the difference between making a mod and copying someone elses work. (AKA plagiarism)

    Now, as a non mod author, How are you hurt by this non change?

    You are welcome to your opinion. Just don't demand that it should be our policy and that we should change our policy because you don't like it as that could be interpreted as trolling.

    This horse is long dead. Continuing to beat on it just reinforces other people's opinion that you are arguing just for the sake of arguing.
  2. Zaldiir
    Zaldiir
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    Okay, you are going to release something that is free for anyone to use, well that is the way I do it as well, but that is not the problem here at all.

    The problem has never been about people using content that actually is stated to be free of use, but about people using content where the author has stated that no one can use it in their own (released) mods.

    When people make something, and clearly state that no one can reuse it, then people should respect their wishes, and steer clear of using that content.

    I stand in the middle of this discussion,
    Being a modder myself, I am pro Modder's Rights, But when a modder doesn't give any guidelines to permissions, and disappears for a set amount of time, I am pro being able to use their resources. Not copying everything, but perhaps borrowing one model from the mod - Given the original author gets credit for it.

    I did this with the mod "Delivery Job" - Manargo, the author of the mod had been away for 2 years, so I picked up his work, and completed his mod. (Of course, I listed him as author, so it may be a little different from some other cases.)
  3. MrFlesh
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    I'm not causing trouble in any sense. I have no intention of using anyones mods against their wishes, but I'm certainly not going to back up a stance that they are entitled to anything outside the good graces of others.

    What I'm doing is offering an articulated counter point which not one person in this comment string has been able to refute. If I seem mildly irate it is because people are piling on me while side stepping the valid points I bring up. People seem upset with me because I am telling them something they don't want to hear, no matter how true it is.

    I'm not surprised you won't give me an example......why start bringing something to the table now.

    As for the Dark One, I think he is making a grave mistake policing any type of usage. I think he should leave it up to the modders to police each other and let the community handle the thief.

    One of the reasons he can get out of liability on the real IP infringement on this site is because he doesn't monitor what is uploaded and downloaded. Once he starts monitoring one thing he then becomes liable for all things. This is how ISPs get out of getting in trouble for people downloading movie torrents. He should be totally hands off. It only takes one email to the right people that there is a site out there that lets you simulate sex between jessica alba and a predator.

    It would be disingenuous of him to police the piracy of mods without checking the mods themselves to see if they were created with pirated software or used licensed animations, textures, sounds, music, etc.

    I'm currently working on my first oblivion mod and I'm doing so with it completely free for everyone to use as they wish. If I didn't want it to be ripped off I wouldn't release it to the public. I'm certainly not going to post it on a site that will host and advertise it for free and then *censored* to them how they didn't protect what I voluntarily put in a public space.

    @surenas: What you call maneuvering I call explaining myself in a different way in the hopes of it sinking in with someone.

    @zaldir: There is no difference between commercial and noncommercial use. I couldn't distribute my version of the mustang for free either. As for a noncommercial use, if it has no registered copywrite or patent it has virtually no protections. I think you are thinking of fair use, but that mostly applies to education and only a single instance of a copy.
  4. ginnyfizz
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    There ARE mods that are rips, no-one denies that. But for the most part the modders who are protesting are the ones who have had original content messed with and hijacked.

    Give me some examples...I want to see what I can dig up.



    I am not about to help you in what seems to be a crusade to make trouble. All along, I have argued that the reason (see Dark0ne's OP in this thread) for the reiteration and reinforcement of the rules was the fact that mods were getting taken from FO3 and used for NV without permission. That is a fact.I have also argued that the case by case decision scenario in relation to absent modders work is likely to be fraught with difficulty.
  5. Surenas
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    it was a frakkin' final one:

    Battlestar Galactica

    It was only one post down


    You've failed, MrFlesh - I haven't yet seen the series. You see, I simply don't live in your strange fantasy world where every frakkin' word allegedly has an already pirated copyright, but only to justify common mod piracy here on the Nexus. That said, I'm really fed up with your tortuous Caribbean maneuvering, I must add.
    However that be, I customize the games myself since 2002, so whatever originates from overhasty decisions driven by an actual Fallout twin populism has almost no impact here at home, thank heavens!
    Sorry folks, I back out of this sour tasting thread. The mod future - if there's still a pirate-free left, and I begin to doubt that - is yours. Good luck, you'll need it.
  6. Zaldiir
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    Just before we finish the conversation of legalities, I want to add that it is a difference between commercial use of content and non-commercial use.

    But, ripping people off is really a rare occasion on the Nexus. Sure, people use resources from other mods, but on most occasions they have either asked for permission and gotten it, or the description of the mod they have borrowed content from state that they can use it freely.
  7. MrFlesh
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    That is not true. You cannot ripoff imagery and representation....you even have to be careful with references. That is whay Aqua was sued by Mattel for the song Barbie Girl. Why do you think there isn't total product placement in video games? Why do you think GT5 doesn't include cars they were not given permission to use?

    I can not build a car that looks exactly like a ford mustang and distribute it to the world as a ford mustang.

    But why should modders get the protection and not the holders of actual protected IP? After all we are no longer talking about what is legal, that conversation is finish, we are now talking about the sole concept of not ripping people off. If you are going to start questioning validity of someones mod then shouldn't you also be data mining that mod and make sure it wasn't built with stolen software or licensed textures?
  8. Zaldiir
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    When I said that it is Dark0ne and the moderators who are protecting mods, and now laws, I meant only when people are ripping off of other mods, not ripping of games - when that happens, it's up to the laws of the country/state where the original content was created.

    And yes, Frakkin' didn't become an expression until after Galactica came out, but it is not a copyrighted expression...

    And for the Alyx Vance mod; you do realize XCommand made the model and texture himself, which means it is not copyrighted. It is only actual ripping when people use a model/texture directly from another game. Not when people use other games/movies as references when they make their own version of it.
  9. MrFlesh
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    Frakkin' didn't become an expression till battlestar gallactica came out. Nobody said that s..t till 2004.

    "It seems you think everything which have been used in a movie or game is copyrighted material,"

    I don't think that at all. We've already established there is no legal recourse if someone rips off your mod. So someone decided to move the goal posts by stating law doesn't matter as it will be TES doing the protecting. Which means the argument comes down to "You shouldn't rip off other peoples work"

    "XCommand says in the description that you can do whatever you want with the mod, as long as you give proper credit. "


    Ahh but it wasn't XCommand's permission to give, he isn't even permitted to use it. Alyx Vance imagery is owned by Valve. Now that we are on the topic of Xcommand he is another popular modder who rips content namely Faith from Mirrors Edge & Blood Rayne from well bloodrayne

    "There ARE mods that are rips, no-one denies that. But for the most part the modders who are protesting are the ones who have had original content messed with and hijacked."

    Give me some examples...I want to see what I can dig up.

    Which brings up another valid point. Let's say TES protects peoples mods. You can't selectively ban someone for ripping off something done by slof but give a greenlight to xcommand, through inaction, to rip off valve. Don't you think a lot of REAL IP holders would find it interesting that TES nexus, a for profit site, is dictating who can and cannot ripoff what IP?

    Do you now see where I'm coming from?
  10. Zaldiir
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    MrFlesh... That is a normal expression, not only usedin Battlestar Galactica.

    It seems you think everything which have been used in a movie or game is copyrighted material, which would mean we couldn't be talking at all here now, because I am quite sure every word we speak have been used in a movie...

    And about Slof's Alyx Vance outfit conversion...
    XCommand says in the description that you can do whatever you want with the mod, as long as you give proper credit. That is exactly what Slof has done.

    You got to be able to see the difference between permitted use of content and the non permitted use. This is something you clearly can't.