Of Porters and Modders

[Shazbot85]

There are a lot of ports of FO3 mods on the newvegasnexus and this causes some confusion among modders as to just who owns the IP rights to the materials ported.

 

I'm uncertain myself, so I'm putting the question up here.

 

If a porter ports a mod from FO3 who owns the IP rights to the materials in the ported mod? The porter or the original modder?

 

A follow up question to this is does the original usage restrictions of the mod that's been ported apply to the port or do the usage restrictions imposed by the porter apply?

 

-Thanks for your time in advance. :)

[Fumofumo]

The material that is ported still is the intellectual property of the original author regardless of having been ported. Seems as though some people are forgetting to add credits to the original authors though in all the hullabaloo that is New Vegas. Also, the usage restrictions are that of the original creators and not the porters unless the author allows otherwise..

[Shazbot85]

OK. So if I want to use materials from a port I must ask the original author for permission (if required), not the porter.

[dieangel68]

Actually both in theory, the original author hold the IP on the original material, and the Porter hold the IP on any creative work he added during the porting process.

 

a bit like there is IP rights on a piece of music from the musician and from the compositor.

[Shazbot85]

See how this becomes a complex issue? I'd like a mod to weigh in on it.

 

I don't agree with the above re: asking both. That would imply joint IP ownership. Continuing the music analogy: the compisitor of an artist's music does not own IP rights of the music - put in a more apt scenario: The recording company does not own the IP rights of the music if they, say change the format of the recording to .mp3 to sell it online. The IP ownership belongs to the original artist.

[Quetzlsacatanango]

It really ain't that hard.

Whoever made what you want to use, you ask 'em. If you're only using the creator's stuff, you ask 'em. If the porter added or changed something or put something nifty in the esp and you want to use that, you ask 'em. It's not a complex issue at all.

[Shazbot85]

It really ain't that hard.

Whoever made what you want to use, you ask 'em. If you're only using the creator's stuff, you ask 'em. If the porter added or changed something or put something nifty in the esp and you want to use that, you ask 'em. It's not a complex issue at all.

 

OK, say it's a weapon from an FO3 mod. The porter had to add a sighting node to the .nif to make it work with iron sights. It then becomes his property? I'm inclined to say no. Even if he made a few minor changes to the mesh I'd still say no.

 

It takes upwards of 100 hours of work to make a good model, get your animations straightened out, get it textured... etc. Some guy comes along and does less than an hours work and has ownership of it? mmmm I'd say no. But I'm PMing some mods to get them to weigh in on it.

[Moraelin]

Dunno, way I see it, if you want to use the model with iron sights in your example, you ask both.

[Borch1d]

I'd agree in full. If either modder saved you the time and effort (Or provided a service that you yourself are incompetent in as Moraelin did for me) then you should ask and credit any and all authors who were a part of helping you.

 

Legalities aside it's just the right thing to do I think.

 

-Borch1d

[Shazbot85]

I disagree, and you miss the point. It's about intellectual property ownership. 15 minutes to add a sightnode to a .nif doesn't warrant credit in my books. In the second case, that person is just a porter. A modder makes the mod. A porter ports it. I'll credit the modder sure.

 

I've pm'd a mod about it anyway. Hopefully he'll answer soon.