Hard Light Productions Forums

General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: DeepSpace9er on November 03, 2003, 03:32:34 pm

Title: Legality
Post by: DeepSpace9er on November 03, 2003, 03:32:34 pm
Just Wondering if there is any copyright infrigement on downloading the HotU version of Freespace with the FSOpen version 3.05 or not? Its a legality issue that probably has been asked before but i just wanted to double check so i dont have any legal dirt on me for being in this community.  :confused:
Title: Legality
Post by: Hippo on November 03, 2003, 03:52:05 pm
its fully legal to distribute FS as long as it is on a no cost basis...
Title: Legality
Post by: DeepSpace9er on November 03, 2003, 04:13:50 pm
I know this is a questoin i should have asked a long time ago, but thats stil relieving to know that it is.
Title: Legality
Post by: KARMA on November 03, 2003, 04:39:51 pm
as far as I know, hippo, you are wrong: most of the games distributed by HOTU are copyrighted, they just assume that nobody will start a legal action for games whose commercial live has ended.
read here: http://www.the-underdogs.org/faq.php#a4
Title: Legality
Post by: kode on November 03, 2003, 04:41:45 pm
yeah, that's basically what it is. karma is teh right.
Title: Legality
Post by: Flaser on November 03, 2003, 04:49:04 pm
I seem to recall some EULA addendum about burning copies for your friends.
Title: Legality
Post by: Hippo on November 03, 2003, 04:51:36 pm
I'm only talking FS... (mainly FS1) FS2 is legal though... As Flaser said, there is a section in the launcher that you can burn copies to distribute at a no cost basis...
Title: Legality
Post by: kode on November 03, 2003, 05:00:04 pm
to your "friends", yes. and that's a matter of definition, I guess.
Title: Legality
Post by: DeepSpace9er on November 03, 2003, 05:21:43 pm
I was talking about FS2, not FS1
Title: Legality
Post by: kode on November 03, 2003, 06:39:31 pm
yes. so was I.
Title: Legality
Post by: Hippo on November 04, 2003, 06:26:01 am
Well, either way, you can legally distribute them at a no cost basis... Other games are almost guarented to be different, but the EULA spcifically states 'Interplay grants you the rights to burn copies of this software for your own use and distribution to friends at a no cost basis.' How you interpret friends is your own choice...
Title: Legality
Post by: Fractux on November 04, 2003, 08:22:29 am
Quote
Originally posted by Hippo
Well, either way, you can legally distribute them at a no cost basis... Other games are almost guarented to be different, but the EULA spcifically states 'Interplay grants you the rights to burn copies of this software for your own use and distribution to friends at a no cost basis.' How you interpret friends is your own choice...


I suppose then that my version of FS2 with the installer could be legal if this is the case?

But maybe the fact that I have another installer, and not the original installer, would void this.

Damn, back to square one :confused:

:)
Title: Legality
Post by: kasperl on November 04, 2003, 10:28:15 am
well, since you would put in all the data, you should be fine. as long as you throw in the original :V: stuff too, perhaops with instructions to make a real copy out of this or something. and really, call up interplay, and ask. AFAIK, they say they don;t have the rights, so yoou should be fine.
Title: Legality
Post by: Hippo on November 04, 2003, 12:32:17 pm
Well, it says you can't everse engineer the softwar, but it could basically be considered an SCP bild, with no changes, or with changes, that come with all the V required stuff... As long as you state that it is an Interplay game, modified for free distribution online as an alternative to sending CDs, you should be fine...
Title: Legality
Post by: kasperl on November 04, 2003, 12:35:19 pm
But, Interplay doesn't, according to their say, own the rights anymore.
and reverse engineering can't be a problem, as long as you stay away from MVE's (encoding decoding) or PXO (something other then vanilla FS2 using it), you should be fine, right? the rest is in the source package too.
Title: Legality
Post by: Hippo on November 04, 2003, 12:39:08 pm
Granted, Interplay doesn't own them, but you still have to credit them for making the game along with [V], otherwise there could be some misunderstandings that [V] and would be sure to jump in on... Mainly that they hadn't been credited and such...
Title: Legality
Post by: kasperl on November 04, 2003, 01:01:57 pm
to be on the safe side, give credit indeed.
Title: Legality
Post by: Fractux on November 04, 2003, 01:16:56 pm
So in regard to the movies, I was going to include the movies that are in .avi format. [Not the converter however, since I've read that it's technically illegal.].

And I'm goving everyone who deserves credit their right full credit. Before I release anything, I'll check to make sure credit is given where it's due.
Title: Legality
Post by: kasperl on November 04, 2003, 01:19:48 pm
then you should indeed be safe from the Inquisition called copyright.
Title: Legality
Post by: Hippo on November 04, 2003, 03:24:20 pm
:nod:
Title: Legality
Post by: KARMA on November 04, 2003, 03:48:02 pm
personally I would prefer to send a mail to :v:, to be ABSOLUTRELY sure of being on the safe side
Title: Legality
Post by: Hippo on November 04, 2003, 03:53:29 pm
that would be the best idea, but they never seem to answer emails any more... unless you email DaveB specifically...
Title: Legality
Post by: DeepSpace9er on November 04, 2003, 09:51:35 pm
Isnt :V: more of THQ now or something....
Title: Legality
Post by: Hippo on November 05, 2003, 03:25:05 pm
no, THQ bought Interplay (correct me if im wrong) and interplay still owns [V]... THQ is more interested in making 'quality' barbie dance frenzy-palooza stuff...
Title: Legality
Post by: Johnmike on November 05, 2003, 03:41:14 pm
I still think someone should gave me ISO's.  =P  *Mauled*
Title: Legality
Post by: karajorma on November 05, 2003, 05:16:04 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Hippo
no, THQ bought Interplay (correct me if im wrong) and interplay still owns [V]... THQ is more interested in making 'quality' barbie dance frenzy-palooza stuff...


THQ only bought [V]. If they had bought the whole of Interplay we probably would have had FS3 by now.