Permission Policy?

[Littlemage]

Hello! I am trying to create an outfit overhaul for Skyrim. I would take a bunch of modded outfits and edit the leveled lists/outfit system so that NPCs wear them. It is my first mod and I am completely new to the scene.. when I got the idea to do this there is something I had strongly overlooked: permissions. I didn't think the hardest part of my project would be to try and gather all the authors of the mods I wish to use and ask their permission to include them.

While I totally understand author's point of view (they would potentially get less downloads, endorsements and donations if their work was available from another source) contacting around 80 authors for permission is giving me huge headaches. Especially since some of them are chinese, others russians, and they shared their works on external sites or even google share archives and I have no idea how to contact them.

So I wanted to ask something that I quite didn't understand from the permission rules: are they necessary even if the source mod is required for mine to work? If let's say I use a merged version of the mod to work on, but remove the meshes and textures so that you still need the mod to be separately downloaded to make use of that item, do I still need written permission of the author to include it / modify it (I want to add suits and stockings to the more revealing outfits)?

[SeraphimKensai]

Permission is required when you use resources created by another modder, otherwise it is a breath of copyright law, and both you and any site hosting such a work, along with those who knowingly download such a reproduction are in violation and subject for legal action of both a criminal/civil sort.

 

So that is why getting permission is required, regardless of how many Modders work you have, otherwise you can't release the mod and can only use for personal use.

[Jannifer]

If your mod requires the original to work, then it might be okay, and it might not. Generally, translations which require the original mod to work aren't a problem. However, permissions for work such as you're doing can indeed, as you've found, be a quagmire of sticky issues. Our policy states that you need permission from the original author to use their assets in your own work. Some mod authors allow patches or mods which use their assets, others require that you get permission, and yet others will tell you to have at it.

 

This is my suggestion...pare down the size of your project. Start with a few authors from whom you can get permissions. Then, add to your project as you contact more authors. IF you can not get specific permission from a given author, then don't use their work unless they have clearly stated that their assets are free for use. Finish off with crediting every author whose work you use and providing a link back to the original mod.

 

I know that getting hold of modders and getting permission to use their assets is sometimes an exercise in futility. The bottom line on Nexus is that while credit is good, permission is better.

 

If you have further questions about our policies, please feel free to contact SirSalami or Pickysaurus who are community managers. They will be happy to help you. :D

[NexusComa]

You can check the mod with the assets they used and some will say right on the mod page you are free to use them. If not you can drop a note to the author and try to get permission.

There are also many packs here that contain many assets that are free to use, If they label it Mod Resource package. However even if it says free to use or you have permission or

you got it from a Mod Resource package that don't mean any of that can be sold or used in a project being sold - All this pertains to free mods for game. In addition to that

Bethesda Game Studios has stated none of their resources can be used cross games even if for a free mod for one of their own games. ie: You can't pull Bethesda's resources from

Fallout for uses with Skyrim mods. This is my understanding of how this works awayways ...

Edited December 1, 2018 by NexusComa

[Littlemage]

If your mod requires the original to work, then it might be okay, and it might not. Generally, translations which require the original mod to work aren't a problem. However, permissions for work such as you're doing can indeed, as you've found, be a quagmire of sticky issues. Our policy states that you need permission from the original author to use their assets in your own work. Some mod authors allow patches or mods which use their assets, others require that you get permission, and yet others will tell you to have at it.

 

This is my suggestion...pare down the size of your project. Start with a few authors from whom you can get permissions. Then, add to your project as you contact more authors. IF you can not get specific permission from a given author, then don't use their work unless they have clearly stated that their assets are free for use. Finish off with crediting every author whose work you use and providing a link back to the original mod.

 

I know that getting hold of modders and getting permission to use their assets is sometimes an exercise in futility. The bottom line on Nexus is that while credit is good, permission is better.

 

If you have further questions about our policies, please feel free to contact SirSalami or Pickysaurus who are community managers. They will be happy to help you. :D

 

Yes, this is what I had planned to do. Luckily some big packages authors already gave me the permission so I will start with them. But still, what can I do about off-nexus authors? Would it be safe to use their work and make their mod a requirement? (maybe on a separate download so if they delete their mod mine doesn't become unusable). Same for banned authors.. If I have to drop all their stuff my project will remain a shadow of what I had thought to make, at least in quantity :c