Steam Starts Forcing Skyrim Mod Sales - Discussion

[NinjaDork]

For those of you who haven't heard the news yet, Steam started doing this;

 

http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/24/valve-steam-sell-mods/

 

I want to hear what the Nexus community thinks of this and how it might affect Skyrim Nexus. In particular, I want to hear from Business Enterprises and similar types of lawyers about the potential legal ramifications of this move. Everyone is welcome to comment regardless of profession, of course.

 

Personally, I think it's a terrible move that is guaranteed to create a massive increase in s*** mods that are spammed solely in the hope of making a quick buck. I hope it won't hurt Skyrim Nexus, but I don't know the modding scene well enough to say one way or the other.

 

Please keep it civil.

 

EDIT; Everything I have heard until now suggests that this process was mandatory for Steam Workshop-I have been told that this is not the case, so now I am confused and would like clarification.

Edited April 25, 2015 by NinjaDork

[Rovole]

On the surface, it isn't mandatory, but in implementation it might as well be. To understand a little background needs to be given. Firstly, to make this all possible Bethesda Softworks or their parent company, Zenimax Media, had to have given their consent as IP holders of the Elder Scrolls franchise to allow modmakers to recieve payment for the sales of content made for TES V:Skyrim, as outlined in the first clause of the creation kit EULA. That same clause also specifies that any mods you make available is automatically property of Bethesda softworks or its parent company. Before the advent of paid mods, all this meant that you could not charge for mods. Now those same rules can be put into action to essentially reposses any released mods and sell them on the workshop, since according to the EULA simply releasing your mod gives them the right to do so. Something like this has already happened; as detailed in this reddit post originally by Chesko. Chesko has since deleted both his Reddit and Twitter accounts.

 

Such actions are only a handful of steps removed from taking released mods and selling them without the consent of the modmaker. It hasn't happened yet, but if it does there will be virtually no legal protections for modmakers either here or on the steam workshop. Before paid mods there was no incentive for Bethesda Softworks to excercise their rights over modifications of their games. Under these conditions, if a mod here becomes popular Bethesda Softworks is entirely in their rights to pluck it up, put it on the Steam Workshop with a price tag, and at the same time issue a Cease and Desist order to the Nexus and have the free edition removed. At that point, whether or not the modmaker will even recieve a 25% cut is unknown, but I do not doubt that, having gone so far already, Bethesda would use the possibility of witholding payment to blackmail modmakers into conceding.

 

Now do you understand why so many people are reacting negatively to this?

 

*mod edit* Thread closed since there are dozens like it that contain more valid information based on what is actually happening and not predictions or conjecture based on fear. - Vagrant0

Edited April 26, 2015 by Vagrant0