Porting a mod from inactive author

[PsychoSlammer]

what can be done if one is wanting to port an armor mod from oldrim to SSE but the author never responds to messages or to anyone in the comments section?

[DoctorKaizeld]

You can port it yourself or kerp waiting for a reply. If you choose to port it yourself though uou ard not allowed to share the file with anyone without the authors permission.

[Moksha8088]

Thinking of the mod Cerwiden as an example, the mod author has been missing in action for many years. The one thing I do know is that he wanted it available on the Nexus or he would not have posted it in the first place. Cerwiden was a very good mod and I think a disservice is being done to his legacy if the mod is never ported to the upgraded platform so it can live on. Wonder if this represents a case where being sticklers for rules and regulations acts against his creation?

[SeraphimKensai]

Permission is required regardless, otherwise it can trigger what is known as copyright infringement under international copyright law, which is punishable both to the individual violating the copyright and a source of distribution for "knowingly" distributing such reproductions.

 

That right there is why the rules are in place, and are necessary to follow.

 

You are right however that most mod authors want their work out there to be enjoyed, otherwise we wouldn't have published it in the first place. If tye person has been inactive on the Nexus forums, you could potentially try contacting them via another source if you're able to such as Reddit or Bethesda's forums. Failing that however, as it has previously been stated, you are allowed to privately port it for yourself and only yourself, and not publish the work.

 

And yes I have known someone to get sued for intellectual copyright infringement before, and the fines are not worth the hassle.

 

Best of luck getting in contact with the author.

[DoctorKaizeld]

Which is why I encourage authors to allow the Nexus curator bot to maintain their stuff when they disappear. It gives the staff permission to maintain it.

[PsychoSlammer]

right on, thats kinda what i fingered. port for myself and just await for a response.

[Moksha8088]

Let's get back to the example of Cerwiden. Porting to SSE would not be copyright infringement if the author was given full credit and the gameplay of the mod was unchanged. I know some unscrupulous modders have sought to claim works as their own - that would be copyright infringement - but that is not the case when the port would still be in the author's name.

 

The author disappeared years before Nexus even considered the Caretaker idea for mods. The original understanding between the mod author and the Nexus of posting a mod on the Nexus Oldrim pages could be extended to the Skyrim SE Nexus pages. Public libraries did much the same thing when they made books available on microfiche and magnetic media.

[DoctorKaizeld]

I disagree. The author didn't grant permission to port as such it cannot be ported.

[Moksha8088]

There was nothing to port to when the author was available. Skyrim SE did not exist. The author did, however, want to share his mod on the Nexus for Oldrim.

The voice actress for the Cerwiden mod was in favor of it being shared on Skyrim SE, but she was unable to locate the mod author. No one knows if he is in Sovngarde.

[DoctorKaizeld]

Doesn't matter. Unless they gave permission for the mod to be maintained in their absence we cannot port it