copyright?

[dmakatra]

Can you just take a script from the ed depot, remake it and submit it? I mean, can u do that or do u have to ask the author? Do they have some kinda copyright on their work or can u just remake it so itÂ'll work better and just thank the original author? I want to remake an artillery script in da ed depot but I donÂ't know if IÂ'm allowed to 'steal' someones work, espacially not for official cases. Plz help.

[size=0.1]DidnÂ't really know where to put this one... Plz move it if u think it is in the wrong place [/size]

EDIT:   Why do you use size 1 in yer text? I tried size 8 and it was huuuuuuuuuuuge! ;D

[toadlife]

If wish to take an already published script from the ed depot and modify it, just make sure to credit the original author in the script comments, and in the snippet description. You can even list the original author as one of the authors of your modified script.

All submissions go through the Ed Depot staff before being officially posted, so if we think the modification is not worth posting, we will let you know. :beat:

[Sefe]

To be on the safe side you have to do both, ask the original author and credit him. I doubt that anyone would say 'no' if asked (I wouldn't).

[dmakatra]

To be on the safe side you have to do both, ask the original author and credit him. I doubt that anyone would say 'no' if asked (I wouldn't).

I wouldnÂ't say no either but whats troubeling me is that the authour may have changed e-mail and tired of OFP so I canÂ't send a request to him.

[macguba]

If you have made genuine efforts to get hold of the original author and failed, then don't worry about it.    Just give him proper credit.

As time has passed and OFP has developed a lot of scripts have become outdated in one way or another.    Its better for the community if these scripts are updated but there's no reason why the updating has to be done by the original author.    The only thing that OFPEC will not tolerate is plagiarism, but if you acknowledge the original work then its not plagiarism.

In other words, go for it.

[dmakatra]

thx.

Would some1 want to discuss this or should I lock the topic?

[macguba]

Why not leave it open for now in case somebody else wants to comment.

[dmakatra]

sure!

*TOPIC SOLVED BUT NOT LOCKED*

[Sefe]

If you have made genuine efforts to get hold of the original author and failed, then don't worry about it.    Just give him proper credit.

Legally, this would be infringement of copyright laws. Practically, the consequnces you'd have to fear are close to zero. But you should bear in mind that you have to ask the author for his permission. A permission not given is a permission not given, wether you can reach the author or not.

A suggestion to the athors: you can clear up things if you include a general copyright notice in your readme files. There you can explicitly give the permissions you want to grant (like copying the script, modifying it etc.). This is how you remove all doubts about who's allowed to do what.

[KTottE]

Extend that to everything you ever make publicly available.
Not just scripts, put it in with missions, addons, pictures, textures, models and whatnot. Everything you make available, make sure everyone knows what they can do with it.
It would be better if you just made a standard text in which you allow/disallow use of the thing, and include that with every readme.
Then you can make exceptions in a few cases and so on.
And now I'm rambling.

[Kaliyuga]

 Man.. you even break out them law books on the weekends Sefe ?

;D  

have a pint and relax :cheers:

[macguba]

Sefe is right, and as OFPEC is a serious site we have to take things like copyright law seriously.       In both England and Scotland (the only legal systems I know anything about at all, and even then not that much) the Courts in general take "reasonableness" into account.        If all "reasonable" efforts were made to contact the author, and the author suffered no loss as a result of the updating of his script, then an objecting original author would have a very hard time pursuing a case.

In any event, if an author subseqently contacted us and objected to an updated script, the liklihood is that we would remove it.

The important thing is that OFPEC upholds the highest moral and legal principals.  However, that has to be balanced with the benefit to the community.     The bottom line is to use common sense and common decency.