New distribution permissions options for all files

[Dark0ne]

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.

[RebelOConner]

it's a good idea, but is it match with the files tag?

for example if a file is tagged a "modder resource" by the author, but not in the distribution permission, what happens?

Edited October 28, 2010 by Rebel O Conner

[ITOS]

I sort of miss the "ask first" option on whether you're allowed to upload the mod on other sites or convert it for another game.

 

Also, the "Credits and distribution permission" box should (in my opinion) only show in the description, not in Files, Images, Comments, etc.

 

Otherwise, I think it's a good idea.

[Eiries]

Nice work, and good idea. I hope in the future you move it to somewhere more aesthetically pleasing, such as a separate tab before or after "Tags." Perhaps a simple "Permissions" tab.

[Dark0ne]

There isn't room for any more tabs for 1024x768 users else I would.

[NMC]

Just got to applaud the ongoing support for modders Nexus provides- yet another fine example of how to run a tight ship. Thank you Dark0ne, and all those involved.

 

Edit: ALL users of Nexus benefit (not just modders) with these safe-guards, as this would prevent a lot of modders giving up through having their work stolen.

Edited October 28, 2010 by NMC

[wrinklyninja]

Good idea, but it looks like there's a small bug in the implementation: if I try to select the 'not without my permission options', they then get set to 'not under any circumstances'.

[PurplePigeon]

The system seems to be broken.

 

I was trying to set permissions for this file, but it sets them to whatever it wants and not to what I specify. Furthermore, when I go to "Edit file details", the settings are different from what it displays on the page. I'm using Windows Vista SP2 with Opera 10.63, if it matters.

 

By the way, some people allow redistribution without permission but with special conditions (like GNU GPL or the requirement that one must notify the author (but not ask for permission) before redistribution). Maybe some option for this could be added?

[Dark0ne]

The system seems to be broken.

 

I was trying to set permissions for this file, but it sets them to whatever it wants and not to what I specify. Furthermore, when I go to "Edit file details", the settings are different from what it displays on the page. I'm using Windows Vista SP2 with Opera 10.63, if it matters.

 

Thanks for the heads-up. Can you try and give it a go now? Think there was a slight bug in the code.

 

By the way, some people allow redistribution without permission but with special conditions (like GNU GPL or the requirement that one must notify the author (but not ask for permission) before redistribution). Maybe some option for this could be added?

 

Put it in the "Permission instructions".

[KitsuneMitsukai]

I'm actually working on another mod, possibly for release(though I am not sure if I will yet). For lots of the pieces, I already have permissions from the authors (eg certain meshes, eye textures, etc.) Even though the permissions are now set as the "Do not use under any circumstance" whatever it is, can I still use them, what with my prior permissions?