Do I need permission to use a mod?

[Mktavish]

Ya I think GamerRick is aware of that , they are just looking to have some open discussion on it.

Which I don't really see as a problem myself ... more public info is mo betta imo .

[M48A5]

Ya I think GamerRick is aware of that , they are just looking to have some open discussion on it.

Which I don't really see as a problem myself ... more public info is mo betta imo .

But it has been addressed time and time again. Don't you think starting two threads is a little overkill?

[GamerRick]

I now have two threads dealing with the permission issue. No one from the Nexus staff has offered any help, and everyone else is just guessing.

 

I am going to just go ahead and just do it.

 

To M48AS, this is a different issue than the other thread. If the answer is obvious please feel free to share it here!

Edited October 29, 2018 by GamerRick

[Mktavish]

I now have two threads dealing with the permission issue. No one from the Nexus staff has offered any help, and everyone else is just guessing.

 

I am going to just go ahead and just do it.

 

To M48AS, this is a different issue than the other thread. If the answer is obvious please feel free to share it here!

 

What about this post in that thread https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/7070201-permission-settings-vs-mod-description-text/page-2

Post #12 ? And I myself found DrakeTheDragon's posts helpful.

 

But yes this is a different issue , and like I said in that thread ... It is best to take each scenario one at a time.

 

Funny last time it seemed you assumed M48A5 was on your side , and said 2 posters were not helpful in their responses. Which I was left to wonder if it was me or pixlehate you were referring to ?

 

And so you know , my experience is that pixlehate is most usually very helpful.

[GamerRick]

Mktavish, Pickysaurus' post was the one that was helpful. I accidentally quoted your's instead of his in my next response.

 

I was referring to you and Reneer as being the unhelpful ones and then appoligized later for saying that.

 

PixelHate is a great guy! I am using his numbers resource, and he has responded to me. I don't see him saying anything in either of these threads.

 

To close the issue: I am going to go ahead and do what I am doing until someone tells me I can't. You and I are almost the same age. Let's both act like it.

 

Oh, and nothing in that other thread addresses the issue in this one. The other is a modders resource that includes a mesh and texture, which are obviously "assets" that belong to the creator. This issue is about an ESP file where the author has not stated permissions anywhere..

 

What am I doing with Another Interior Mod.esp?

 

1. Modifying his interiors a bit to add new stuff and enemies, and even removing some statics and repositioning things.
2. Adding new signs to the exteriors of his interiors to give visible clues that there is actually an interior there.
3. Duplicating his interiors to create my own. Then modifying them to be different.
4. Using some of his retrextures in my interiors (he used vanilla textures on some nodes of vanilla meshes)

Edited October 29, 2018 by GamerRick

[Reneer]

No. You only need permission to use assets from the mods. Dependencies are not assets

"Dependencies" are merely a way of saying "something that isn't mine". Those "dependencies" could (and often do) come with their own licensing terms / permissions. You can't just hand-wave those licensing terms / permissions away by giving it a different name.

 

Bethesda has been very, very clear that mod authors own our mods. That includes copyright, which in turn includes the sole right to create derivative works. Using a mod as a "dependency" necessitates that you are using the original mod author's work as a foundation to your own, so you need to abide by whatever permissions / licensing terms the original mod author set forth.

 

What am I doing with Another Interior Mod.esp?

• Modifying his interiors a bit to add new stuff and enemies, and even removing some statics and repositioning things.
• Adding new signs to the exteriors of his interiors to give visible clues that there is actually an interior there.
• Duplicating his interiors to create my own. Then modifying them to be different.
• Using some of his retrextures in my interiors (he used vanilla textures on some nodes of vanilla meshes)

Because "Another Interior Mod" doesn't include any permission statements whatsoever, what you are doing is technically against the law (because without any permissions statements the work defaults to "all rights reserved"). You haven't been given permission to modify "Another Interior Mod" by the mod author, which means, unfortunately without their permission, you are violating Wastelandloner's exclusive rights of copyright.

Edited October 29, 2018 by Reneer

[GamerRick]

 

No. You only need permission to use assets from the mods. Dependencies are not assets

"Dependencies" are merely a different way of saying "something that isn't mine". Those "dependencies" could (and often do) come with their own licensing terms / permissions. You can't just hand-wave those licensing terms / permissions away by giving it a different name.

 

Bethesda has been very, very clear that mod authors own our mods. That includes copyright, which in turn includes the sole right to create derivative works. Using a mod as a "dependency" necessitates that you are using the original mod author's work as a foundation to your own, so you need to abide by whatever permissions / licensing terms the original mod author set forth.

 

 

That's an intelligent answer! I think (based on other threads I read) that if the author has no stated permissions and doesn't give me permission by responding to my PM, that I do NOT have the right to use his mod then. Ugh! :yucky:

 

So, I could remove the dependency by just removing #1 (modifications to his interiors), and creating new static items for the ones I am using from hos mod in my interiors. I can leave all the exterior signs, because he only adds an invisible door to the exteriors, so even my window signs are put on the vanilla static doors that are part of the building's mesh. My new interiors started as a duplicate of one of his, but have been heavily modified by after that. There is nothing in them now (except a few items I can easily replace).

Edited October 29, 2018 by GamerRick

[DoctorKaizeld]

Dependencies require you to download the other mod for your mod to work... as suuch you aren't using any of their assets and can do so without asking.

[Reneer]

Dependencies require you to download the other mod for your mod to work... as suuch you aren't using any of their assets and can do so without asking.

Making your work dependent upon another creation necessitates that, without said dependency, your creation would not function / be complete. Ergo, your work is in part a derivative work of said original creation. And we're back to violating copyright law. Simply because you are forcing the user to install / download the dependency doesn't negate you making it a dependency in your work in the first place.

Edited October 29, 2018 by Reneer

[GamerRick]

Oh f***! I just realized that I am also using many of NMC's textures to add real windows to some of my interiors (add an alpha masks to create transparent sections in the walls). He won't give permission to anyone.

Edited October 29, 2018 by GamerRick