Legal Question

[Yossarian22]

Thanks for your response Vagrand, guess its clear now, kudos.

 

Gretz

 

YOss

[phoneyLogic]

To ensure that I didn't miss sth

 

In the very first place you are not allowed to use (modify, share) any assets which are copyrighted, except you have a permission

 

This permission can be given by:

1. the Copyright holder just granted you permission

2. the holder gave permission via the creative common licenses (like happened with some S.T.A.L.K.E.R. content)

3. by other agreements like the EULA.

 

The latter 3 points normaly include restrictions under which you can share the work. I guess point 1 and 2 are clear, but for point 3 it just works like Vargant and Pronam etc said: We are not allowed to use the content for other DLCs or Games as they origianally were created for.

[simplywayne90]

This seems like a correct thread to ask my question in,

 

I've created a huge list of modders resources for the convience of modders,

 

I've only ever included resources that are completely user-made (As far as I know based on the creators description)

 

I belive I've found all the resources I can from Fallout 3 and New Vegas,

 

So I wanted to ask,

 

Can I include modder resources from Oblivion to use in the Fallout games?, if they use no actual content from Oblivion, by that I mean custom meshes and textures.

 

It seems to avoid the use of copyrighted material , and i only include resources where the author clearly states that no permission is required or simply asks to be credited, so I also avoid people commiting unfair use of others work as long as they say who made what.

 

So am I in the clear for adding in user-made content for Oblvion but that is seperate from the game itself?

[ub3rman123]

On things labeled as modder's resources, make sure that the "Can be ported to other games" box is checked in the permissions section. If not, contact the author for permission.

[simplywayne90]

On things labeled as modder's resources, make sure that the "Can be ported to other games" box is checked in the permissions section. If not, contact the author for permission.

 

thank you I will check that, will that mean that it is useable for fallout?

Edited March 19, 2011 by simplywayne90

[ub3rman123]

Probably. If it's checked. Make dead sure that there is nothing that is from the vanilla game at all. Based off a vanilla texture/UV/bodymesh/doorway/Glarthir or whatever.

[simplywayne90]

Probably. If it's checked. Make dead sure that there is nothing that is from the vanilla game at all. Based off a vanilla texture/UV/bodymesh/doorway/Glarthir or whatever.

 

Yes I'm pretty obsessive with making sure it safe and alright to use and share, I could've doubled my list if I wasn't so detailed about it. Not only that but any mistake I make is caught rather quickly due to having helpful readers willing to point out things I may have missed.

 

Hopefully I'll find a lot that can be used however, since such resources are likely to never be used in any games after New Vegas since future Beth games will have a new engine and better graphics. I saw a Gallows resource that'd be perfect in New Vegas and its western theme.

 

Thank you very much for reassuring me that this will not cause problems for modders or moderators as my only goal is to spread content and allow for more polished and easier made mods in the future.

[LHammonds]

The "Can be ported to other games" feature was not always available for modders. It is fairly new and mods uploaded before that feature was implemented (the vast majority) will have utilized that feature. So it will mainly depend on what was said.

 

Keep in mind that when a file is said to be a "modder's resource", that typically means a resource for modders of that game. So if you see an old upload on TESNexus that is a custom helmet and a modder's resource, I would not automatically assume it is a modder's resource for Fallout 3, Supreme Commander, Donkey Kong, etc.

 

If the description said something like "you can do whatever you want with this file, all I ask is that you give credit" then I'd say you can use that resource in other games IF:

 

1. The content in the mod is actually 100% created by the author (no derivatives!)

2. You give credit to the author that created the assets.

 

Keep in mind that ANY assets that YOU personally did not create should be considered "possible illegal assets" such as somebody ripping a Halo mesh directly from another game and making it available and "claiming" they are the original author and you can do anything you want..thus, the content is NOT actually created by the author and is lying about the source. This can get you into trouble unless you document your sources very well and do your best to spot problems like this. Just about everyone I have seen ripping assets from one game to another will claim they or some anonymous person created it and will freely give you permission. Seeing such permissions on professional-level assets should raise a red flag that the truth to the source assets may not have been conveyed.

 

LHammonds

[simplywayne90]

Thank you for going into such detail for me, I'm quite careful about avoiding anything that even looks ported, and again I only link to resources that seem safe beyond a shadow of doubt. I'll look forward to the update I'll be creating the following week. And I will warn my users that they should properly credit authors, and double-check that the content is safe for upload and use here at Nexus.

 

Thank you all very much for taking the time to quell my concerns on the topic, Hopefully many modders will benifit from this next update and we will see more content in future mods of New Vegas and possibly Fallout 3.