Mod permission for abandoned mods?

[AGreatWeight]

 

Pretty sure he means taking a model someone else made, and making a new texture for it.

i.e. the Plasma Caster mod up on the frontpage of the Nexus.

He doesn't like the shiny cartoony textures that the mod maker created, and decides to make a new, grittier looking texture.

He downloads the mod files, and uses the original model to work on, but when he uploads the "re-texture" it's just the texture file, to overwrite the texture file included in the Plasma Caster mod.

 

Would that require permission, considering that while it's entirely new content, and not uploading any files that he himself did not originally create, it's still based off of an existing mesh made by someone else?

Uploading a retexture for (I'll use your example) the Plasma Caster - perfectly fine to do that, as your not actually redistributing another authors assets with your mod.

The op seems to referring to re-using assets from another mod author, altering them & then uploading those - i.e. what Thandal just said.

[chucksteel]

But Thandal is uploading a "Settlement Blueprint" Really thought of as uploading someone else's work?

[Thandal]

But Thandal is uploading a "Settlement Blueprint" Really thought of as uploading someone else's work?

 

It's all about the permissions that are attached to what's being uploaded.

• One's own work? No issues.
• Mods (for games whose copyright holders have given de jure or de facto modding permission) using vanilla assets? No issues.
• Mods using assets published as "free to use", "modder's resources", or other such blanket permissions? No issues.

Almost every other situation requires explicit permission from the original author if using all, most, or even just some of the other person's work.

[AGreatWeight]

 

I know, I know but, read the thread! Apparently they still need permissions.

 

I blame this on the ISPCM (the International Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Modders)

I've just read that particular thread again, and decided to have a look on the Transfer Settlements mod page itself. I couldn't actually find any mention of permissions being needed from the authors of mods used in Blueprints, and the only reference that CDante made regarding other mods was simply to remind users to mention the mods they've used in their blueprint's mod page - so CDante himself hasn't said anything about having to ask permissions, and I've no idea where the op of that thread got the idea that you need permissions in this situation.

If you can find a statement to the contrary on that mod's page, then I'll admit I'm wrong... but it seems a bit draconian to require permission for something whose files/assets aren't redistributed in the blueprint itself.

Edited May 25, 2017 by AGreatWeight

[chucksteel]

Then since this "Settlement Blueprint" thing is new the Nexus needs to add a check box for it in the perm's!

 

NO assets are being redistributed! If someone is making a mod that includes craftable objects they should then expect them to be used in a blueprint! I do and I wouldn't expect someone to ask to use my mod in their blueprint. So long as they REQUIRED my mod I would be happy.

[chucksteel]

 

But Thandal is uploading a "Settlement Blueprint" Really thought of as uploading someone else's work?

 

It's all about the permissions that are attached to what's being uploaded.

• One's own work? No issues.
• Mods (for games whose copyright holders have given de jure or de facto modding permission) using vanilla assets? No issues.
• Mods using assets published as "free to use", "modder's resources", or other such blanket permissions? No issues.

Almost every other situation requires explicit permission from the original author if using all, most, or even just some of the other person's work.

 

the difference between the "Letter of the Law" and the "Intent of the Law"!

 

Edit: Thandal,

 

The Nexus's own ToS has a certain amount of ambiguity built into it to prevent unfair treatment of people who may live outside of the UK/US and may not understand the laws. (Hell I don't understand US law most of the time and I live in the US!)

 

So why would the nexus be so strict on "Settlement Blueprints"?

 

Why are perm's needed for a mod that doesn't re-distribute anything?

[AGreatWeight]

 

NO assets are being redistributed! If someone is making a mod that includes craftable objects they should then expect them to be used in a blueprint! I do and I wouldn't expect someone to ask to use my mod in their blueprint. So long as they REQUIRED my mod I would be happy.

Likewise, I'm in complete agreement with you. If that permissions thing is actually true, then it's bonkers! I think the op of that thread has got confused, and then written that post so poorly that it's easy to misinterpret what they're actually trying to say - which I think the moderator who responded first to it fell victim to.

[tomomi1922]

So a retexture does not even need permission as long as it was not an alteration of original texture? Awesome. Then my retexture mod doesn't require any permission. Not that I will omit the link back or credit to the original authors because the retexture is for, and thus requiring the existence of, whatever content the retexture is for.

Look, before people act all high and mighty CSI detectives, it is perfectly FINE to discuss. People do not get arrested for discussing laws around crimes. There is NO NEED to harass law schools because they lecture law over there. And if anyone here have any intention to plagiarize any mod .... he/she is not stupid enough to announce it to the world. There is absolutely NO REASON to act high and mighty as I have seen with some of the comments here.

[tomomi1922]

 

 

But Thandal is uploading a "Settlement Blueprint" Really thought of as uploading someone else's work?

 

It's all about the permissions that are attached to what's being uploaded.

• One's own work? No issues.
• Mods (for games whose copyright holders have given de jure or de facto modding permission) using vanilla assets? No issues.
• Mods using assets published as "free to use", "modder's resources", or other such blanket permissions? No issues.

Almost every other situation requires explicit permission from the original author if using all, most, or even just some of the other person's work.

 

the difference between the "Letter of the Law" and the "Intent of the Law"!

 

Edit: Thandal,

 

The Nexus's own ToS has a certain amount of ambiguity built into it to prevent unfair treatment of people who may live outside of the UK/US and may not understand the laws. (Hell I don't understand US law most of the time and I live in the US!)

 

So why would the nexus be so strict on "Settlement Blueprints"?

 

Why are perm's needed for a mod that doesn't re-distribute anything?

 

Nexus staff are not lawmen. So their sense of rules need to be revised as time goes on and new content arise. Just take the founding of the US and their primitive laws created by some (now long dead) old geezers. If we treat those laws as holy bibles and never revise, then there would be no such thing as "Intellectual property", Copyright, and all the laws passed recently. Because those things didn't quite exist back in 1775. And within the next 50 years, we will see new laws passed about things regarding digital footprint right (whatever that means) and all the mumbo jumbo that still don't quite exist now. That's because laws grow along with social and science evolution.

 

All these rules about Blueprints seem silly because Nexus staff were not 100% quite sure what Blueprints are and how exactly to categorize them. But if uploading blueprints need all these permissions from the referencing mods, then we might as well put permission requirement on screenshots. "Say, your screenshots show your character wearing 3 different outfits .... you did PM 3 authors and got their permissions, GOOD! OH wait, I saw in the far distance you got a retexture of Prydwen and no permission.... BANNED! That will show you!"

 

 

[MLeonhardt]

But the fact of the matter still remains that the mod files are not included in the Settlement Blueprint file.

And currently the only way to inform people of what mods you're using in it are to link them directly to the original mods to download them.

If I buy a cook book I don't automatically get the milk and eggs and flour and ecstasy and frosting and candles. I still have to buy those to make the whole cake.

 

 

 

If the Nexus were to start including mod files with Settlement Blueprints, then yes, permission would be required, but as of now I do not see the point.