This seems like a fantastic idea. I have a question though. Many mods are distributed using very permissive licenses (eg GPL, Apache). Copying and distributing (eg) GPL'd mods is not actually against the terms of the license at all. These licenses are actually intended to promote sharing and derivative works. I agree that there are less scrupulous websites out there that are essentially stealing web traffic from mod authors, but for permissively licensed mods, what recourse do mod authors have for redirecting that traffic back to their sites without changing the licensing terms?
There's a reason I'm not a fan of licences allowing monetisation. It causes a lot of trouble.
I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to (e.g.) claim I made bash... I'm pretty sure you can still DMCA them, because they're claiming they made something they didn't make.
EDIT: I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.
Well, at first, I would say that we need a new group license that can be used by people. After all, YouTube has a stock customized license; Gnu created the GPL, etc. If the BSD / Apache / etc licenses don't quite do what you want, then make a new stock template.
But then, I recall what happened with GPL2 in the court rooms, the "tivo-izing", etc, and the resultant GPL 3 and the flack that came out of that. (quick summary: GPL2 did not protect people enough; GPL3 arguably tightened things too much to counter).
Does Curse have sufficient resources and lawyers to make a "Curse mod license" that people could use instead of GPL / etc? Is there sufficient reason to do so? (that this thread exists, and has grown massively so quickly seems to indicate yes).
(In regard to a mod that gives realistic animal genetics):
Would you really rather have bees that make diamonds and oil with magical genetic blocks?
... did I really ask that?
Well, at first, I would say that we need a new group license that can be used by people. After all, YouTube has a stock customized license; Gnu created the GPL, etc. If the BSD / Apache / etc licenses don't quite do what you want, then make a new stock template.
But then, I recall what happened with GPL2 in the court rooms, the "tivo-izing", etc, and the resultant GPL 3 and the flack that came out of that. (quick summary: GPL2 did not protect people enough; GPL3 arguably tightened things too much to counter).
Does Curse have sufficient resources and lawyers to make a "Curse mod license" that people could use instead of GPL / etc? Is there sufficient reason to do so? (that this thread exists, and has grown massively so quickly seems to indicate yes).
This is essentially the direction the IRC discussion is heading in. We're considering forming a guild of modders to draft a license that is appropriate for modders. I guess it would be similar to GNU drafting the GPL. We're thinking of using someone's old MMPL as a rough draft.
Good thing to know is you can email these sites and ask them to take down the mod posted. I've done it to a few of the sites on that list and have had them take down my mods. Most of them will jump fast to avoid the threat of legal action
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Author of Fluid Mechanics, Assembly Line, ICBM, Come Closer, and Artillects. Including Java Freelancer for hire specializing in creating and fixing minecraft mods.
so you are complaining about sites stealing work that doesnt even belong to the "creators" in the first place? what? the modding community needs to get off its high horse and learn a thing or two from other modding communities. stop being so selfish.
No. We're upset that after putting hundreds of hours into writing code, some random person grabs the file and starts making money off it, without even talking to us. Many of us have licenses that specifically forbid this, and if you'd taken the time to read the OP, you'd see that it's a bigger issue than just "a couple of modders are upset".
This is essentially the direction the IRC discussion is heading in. We're considering forming a guild of modders to draft a license that is appropriate for modders. I guess it would be similar to GNU drafting the GPL. We're thinking of using someone's old MMPL as a rough draft.
I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice.
I've contributed to some open-source mods and have written multiple mods for personal/private use. I have first-hand experience with litigation involving some of the licenses in this thread, and with software and content licensing in general.
Writing a license agreement without the help of qualified experts may end in disaster. A former colleague modified a licensing agreement himself, but was convinced to run it by a lawyer before using it. The lawyer changed one word. Later, that single word change saved the colleague from a 7-figure licensing-related dispute.
Copyright law has a lot of teeth, and DMCA takedowns are very powerful. Laws around distribution, like wrapping a mod in an installer, or repackaging it in some way, may fall entirely under copyright. Laws around linking are much less clear, especially outside the US. Linking by some methods such as adfly wrappers may fall under the terms of service of those sites.
Currently, the plan is to put together a license based on the MMPL, we're calling it MMPLv2. Once we've gotten it to a decently stable place, I'll have my lawyer go through it and make sure we're covering all our bases.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
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Posts:
316
Minecraft:
CoolSquid
Member Details
SkyDaz is temporarily removed, as it doesn't outright earns money on modders work. We are however working on a ranking system, where we can inform about what problems each website has. SkyDaz will be readded when the ranking system is up, with negative points for ignoring DMCAs and rehosting files.
I've got two.
download-minecraftmods .com
swiftlygames .com - This one looks like an exact copy of the Minecraft Forums but I noticed that the dropbox links to my mod downloads were linked to some unknown site.
I've got two.
download-minecraftmods .com
swiftlygames .com - This one looks like an exact copy of the Minecraft Forums but I noticed that the dropbox links to my mod downloads were linked to some unknown site.
I'll verify it tomorrow. I'm currently using my iPad, and it's not showing the contents of swiftlygames for some reason.
Yes, this should be stickied
I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to (e.g.) claim I made bash... I'm pretty sure you can still DMCA them, because they're claiming they made something they didn't make.
EDIT: I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.
But then, I recall what happened with GPL2 in the court rooms, the "tivo-izing", etc, and the resultant GPL 3 and the flack that came out of that. (quick summary: GPL2 did not protect people enough; GPL3 arguably tightened things too much to counter).
Does Curse have sufficient resources and lawyers to make a "Curse mod license" that people could use instead of GPL / etc? Is there sufficient reason to do so? (that this thread exists, and has grown massively so quickly seems to indicate yes).
* Promoting this week: Captive Minecraft 4, Winter Realm. Aka: Vertical Vanilla Viewing. Clicky!
* My channel with Mystcraft, and general Minecraft Let's Plays: http://www.youtube.com/user/Keybounce.
* See all my video series: http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-editions/minecraft-editions-show-your/2865421-keybounces-list-of-creation-threads
(In regard to a mod that gives realistic animal genetics):
Would you really rather have bees that make diamonds and oil with magical genetic blocks?
... did I really ask that?
This is essentially the direction the IRC discussion is heading in. We're considering forming a guild of modders to draft a license that is appropriate for modders. I guess it would be similar to GNU drafting the GPL. We're thinking of using someone's old MMPL as a rough draft.
Me too! I check and figured out that its a Worpress theme! Pretty cool eh?
No. We're upset that after putting hundreds of hours into writing code, some random person grabs the file and starts making money off it, without even talking to us. Many of us have licenses that specifically forbid this, and if you'd taken the time to read the OP, you'd see that it's a bigger issue than just "a couple of modders are upset".
All work licensed under the Don't Be a Jerk license.
It's the 6th result on an Enderbent search by Google. I Tried getting a hold of Google about the virus threat but they didn't respond.
I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice.
I've contributed to some open-source mods and have written multiple mods for personal/private use. I have first-hand experience with litigation involving some of the licenses in this thread, and with software and content licensing in general.
Writing a license agreement without the help of qualified experts may end in disaster. A former colleague modified a licensing agreement himself, but was convinced to run it by a lawyer before using it. The lawyer changed one word. Later, that single word change saved the colleague from a 7-figure licensing-related dispute.
Copyright law has a lot of teeth, and DMCA takedowns are very powerful. Laws around distribution, like wrapping a mod in an installer, or repackaging it in some way, may fall entirely under copyright. Laws around linking are much less clear, especially outside the US. Linking by some methods such as adfly wrappers may fall under the terms of service of those sites.
Currently, the plan is to put together a license based on the MMPL, we're calling it MMPLv2. Once we've gotten it to a decently stable place, I'll have my lawyer go through it and make sure we're covering all our bases.
All work licensed under the Don't Be a Jerk license.
download-minecraftmods .com
swiftlygames .com - This one looks like an exact copy of the Minecraft Forums but I noticed that the dropbox links to my mod downloads were linked to some unknown site.
Monoblocks and Vehicular Movement: The greatest additions to a modern Minecraft city. Grab them here: http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/mapping-and-modding/minecraft-mods/2236322-goldensilver853s-mod-hub
You are now breathing manually.
I'll verify it tomorrow. I'm currently using my iPad, and it's not showing the contents of swiftlygames for some reason.
Monoblocks and Vehicular Movement: The greatest additions to a modern Minecraft city. Grab them here: http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/mapping-and-modding/minecraft-mods/2236322-goldensilver853s-mod-hub
You are now breathing manually.