Morrowind 2011 Mod Collection Pulled After Complaints

[kebab4you]

Which puts Bethesda ENTIRELY in the wrong in this matter... for Bethesda themselves to start getting pissy over someones alteration of an alteration... makes them nothing short of hypocrites.....and I dare say that LEGALLY, should it be tested... that they would not be able to censor him.. without censoring the other;s for EXACTLY the same reason.

So you think it's perfectly fine to completley disregard the efforts of modders?

The second they put it out to the public(even during work it was Bethesda that owned the mod), all there work went to Bethesda, and since Bethesda allow people to mod there game the creator off this mod package didn't do anything wrong. Sure, not asking if he can compile there work into one big package wasn't that smart or nice but nothing on earth the modders could have done to him.

 

[Caiti Voltaire]

So you think it's perfectly fine to completley disregard the efforts of modders?

They're essentially releasing something they have no rights to do so. The onus is on Bethesda to regulate mods and the community as they see fit. So really in the end, that's the opinion that matters.

He didn't... he gave them credit...Just as they did for Bethesda. They can't enforce how their work is used seeing as they don't own any rights to it.

Bethesda can. And they did. Really should be the end of it, IMO.

 

[Internet Kraken]

He didn't... he gave them credit...Just as they did for Bethesda. They can't enforce how their work is used seeing as they don't own any rights to it.

Mentioning the names of the authors in a zip file is hardly substantial credit. At least it doesn't seem to be, otherwise the creators wouldn't be so pissed off. Maybe he should have asked each creator what they would consider to be substantial credit. But he didn't do that, and now he's suffering the consequences.

And I'd be kind of irked if someone took all my Dwarf Fortress mods, threw them in with a bunch of others without even telling me, and then the only acknowledgment of my work was one line of text in a file.

 

[Some_weirdGuy]

Actually I think you'll find it's more like copying a picture of the Mona Lisa, putting a moustache on it.. then getting pissed because someone framed it, and hung it in a free gallery of similarly derived works because he thought they were all really well done.

(EDIT...Not mentioning the sign on the door saying "HEY.. come see what other people have done")

(EDIT EDIT... nor the added mood lighting because looking at some of them in their original form made your eyes bleed.)

I think using your analogy it would be more accurate to say:
you making a picture of monalisa with a moustache, then having someone take the moustache, along with an afro from another monalisa edit and sunglasses from a third, and so on, gluing them all together, and then getting praised for their great work creating a monalisa with a moustache, afro, sunglasses, ect.

Then, on the back of the frame against the wall is the sign saying "HEY.. come see what other people have done"

 

[mdk31]

I hope the people who wanted it pulled realize that the internet, being the internet, never forgets any piece of data. That mod compilation is out in the wild now, and there's nothing they can do that will change that. Period.

 

[Fumbleumble]

He didn't... he gave them credit...Just as they did for Bethesda. They can't enforce how their work is used seeing as they don't own any rights to it.

Bethesda can. And they did. Really should be the end of it, IMO.

But your opinion, or Bethesda's for that matter, has ABSOLUTELY no legal bearing on the matter...

The whole kit and kaboodle falls under Bethesda's original legally binding agreement... Censoring him, without censoring EVERYONE else is against that agreement and in no way binding to anyone....

The guy should sue to have his account reinstated OR to have EVERY MORROWIND MOD ON THE PLANET pulled!

 

[Drakmorg]

Thankfully I downloaded the package yesterday, looks like I snagged it just in time.

Finally gives me an excuse to actually play this game. My cousin gave me the GOTY edition like 12 yonks ago because he didn't like it, and up until now I've never gotten around to playing it since I'm just superficial enough about graphics that the game was a bit too fugly for my tastes up until now.

 

[Fumbleumble]

Actually I think you'll find it's more like copying a picture of the Mona Lisa, putting a moustache on it.. then getting pissed because someone framed it, and hung it in a free gallery of similarly derived works because he thought they were all really well done.

(EDIT...Not mentioning the sign on the door saying "HEY.. come see what other people have done")

(EDIT EDIT... nor the added mood lighting because looking at some of them in their original form made your eyes bleed.)

I think using your analogy it would be more accurate to say:
you making a picture of monalisa with a moustache, then having someone take the moustache, along with an afro from another monalisa edit and sunglasses from a third, and so on, gluing them all together, and then getting praised for their great work creating a monalisa with a moustache, afro, sunglasses, ect.

Then, on the back of the frame against the wall is the sign saying "HEY.. come see what other people have done"

Not if you consider the gallery to be Morrowind itself...then it's everyone's work on display in the same place.

He didn't alter any one person's work... and that's what you infer....Everyone's work is on display equally....

..and as far as the sign goes... he could have stuck it in the bin in the corner for all it matters..... because his sign is on 'display' in exactly the same manner as those making the protests.

 

[Liiizard]

I can't comprehend the logic of the mod authors who are threatening to sue.

"I've labored away at this mod of this old game, it's a very niche thing, and I'll be lucky to have over 1000 people see my work. Wait a second, someone has used my work, in conjunction with the work of hundreds of other modders like me, to create a wonderful re-release of this game I love so much, and now my work may be seen by millions!"

Should I :

a) Thank the person responsible and ask them to include a link to my website on theirs so I can increase traffic and attention to my work, maybe ask them to highlight what parts of the package were my contributions.

b)Smile about this thing happening, then go back to modding

c)THREATEN THAT JERK WITH LEGAL ACTION FOR DARING TO USE MY WORK WITHOUT ASKING!!!!!

I think my avatar says it all. *facepalm*

 

[Caiti Voltaire]

He didn't... he gave them credit...Just as they did for Bethesda. They can't enforce how their work is used seeing as they don't own any rights to it.

Bethesda can. And they did. Really should be the end of it, IMO.

But your opinion, or Bethesda's for that matter, has ABSOLUTELY no legal bearing on the matter...

The whole kit and kaboodle falls under Bethesda's original legally binding agreement... Censoring him, without censoring EVERYONE else is against that agreement and in no way binding to anyone....

The guy should sue to have his account reinstated OR to have EVERY MORROWIND MOD ON THE PLANET pulled!

You obviously have no understanding of intellectual property law. The End-User License Agreement of the Construction Kit states that anything created with it is the property of Bethesda. Which means they can do whatever they want with it. Anything. At all.

Personally I think its a pretty raw deal for modders. Bethesda could come around, put together a mod or a bunch of mods, and turn around and sell it, and the modders would have absolutely no legal recourse. Which is why I would never put serious effort into modding for those games.

But regardless, the agreement states that the mods are Bethesda's. They can do whatever they want with them. They're not bound by anything other than law.

 

[Alpha Maeko]

I don't know whether to find this funny or sad.

Clearly, not asking permission from anyone was wrong, but who the hell does this shit? Practically threatening legal action?

OBJECTION!

 

[Fumbleumble]

Mentioning the names of the authors in a zip file is hardly substantial credit.

This is irrelevent.... this is the way thing have been accptably done since modding began (and it's EXACTLY the same way in which the modders themselves have given credit)...... it has become "law through usage", until tested.

 

[-Samurai-]

It's his problem and he has to deal with it now, he should have got the permission first other wise he isn't any better than the guy who made the Knights of the force expansion for JKA III.

Hope he resolves it though, some mod authors are too uptight.

Oh god. Why the hell would you bring KoTF into this?! Now I'll never be able to sleep!

[small]*Goes off mumbling about how Tim stole my work, then made a profit from donations and so on and so forth*[/small]

 

[sdfasdfhfgfgjtyisdgdfdfj]

I thought the Morrowind modding community was better then this, I guess it isn't then.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Again it seems that basic decency and politeness could have stopped the entire problem at it's source, but instead, a foolish decision causes strife for many.

IF he'd just emailed each mod creator and said' Hey, I've been working on a mod compilation, knowing that it's tricky to make multiple ones work together, and I've got it working to this level *youtube link*, can I include your mod in the compilation as a full release? I'll obviously give you full credit for your part in it.', then I believe 90% would have gladly said yes, and probably offered help, and the remaining one or two would have probably given in when they saw the quality of the work, and that everyone else had accepted.

Instead, I'm sure it appeared to the modders, that this guy came along, stuck a bunch of their hard work in a zip file and went 'look at me I'm so awesome lolz', when of course he'd done a fair bit to make things work smoothly.

Rule for life, if you're not sure if something you'll do will piss people off, and you don't actually want to bug them, just ask... most people react positively to a polite request, so long as you're not standing in town holding a clipboard and wearing a tabard.

 

[Fumbleumble]

You obviously have no understanding of intellectual property law. The End-User License Agreement of the Construction Kit states that anything created with it is the property of Bethesda. Which means they can do whatever they want with it. Anything. At all.

No offence mate... but that's absolute garbage.

EVERYONE has to abide by the same agreement... Bethesda CANNOT start making up rules for one person and not for others. If Bethesda makes an agreement... that agreement binds EVERYONE.. whether Bethesda likes it or not, because the matter has become LEGALLY BINDING.. it's the LAW that decides, NOT Bethesda...

Bethesda wrote their original conditions and it is the law's job to enforce those conditions AS WRITTEN, if Bethesda decide they have made a mistake, tough titty on them. YOU have no understanding of how the law works.

What is sauce for the goose, is sauce for the gander.

 

[Caiti Voltaire]

No offence mate... but that's absolute garbage.

EVERYONE has to abide by the same agreement... Bethesda CANNOT start making up rules for one person and not for others. If Bethesda makes an agreement... that agreement binds EVERYONE.. whether Bethesda likes it or not... YOU have no understanding of how the law works.

What is sauce for the goose, is sauce for the gander.

Sure they can. Its their property. They own it. It may or may not be morally correct, or ethical, for them to do certain things with it, but so long as they don't break any laws, they can do whatever the fuck they want with MODs made using TESCK.

[edit]: I suspect this is good reading for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property

 

[Internet Kraken]

This is irrelevent.... this is the way thing have been accptably done since modding began (and it's EXACTLY the same way in which the modders themselves have given credit)...... it has become "law through usage", until tested.

Obviously you're wrong, otherwise the mod creators wouldn't be outraged. Or maybe their just pissed off about this guy not even asking for permission. Either way, if the original mod creators wanted this taken down, I'd have to agree with them. It's their work.