License question: Including mods in a compilation

Pyrates · 11-02-10, 05:23 AM

Hi there!

I'm uploading an addon compilation. There's one additional addon I'd like to include. I can only find a download of it at wowinterface.com, but there's no license specified. The author does not answer my pm.

Is there any general policy that would allow me to include it anyways? I'd give credit for sure, but I'm hesitant to do that without explicit permission. On the other hand, it's kinda awkward to ask the users of my compilation to download other stuff additionally, but the feature this addon provides is one I'd really like to include.

Thanks for any help

Sythalin · 11-02-10, 06:19 AM

As long as a) you credit the author and/or b) provide a link to the source you should be fine. The only time it would become an issue is if the author asks you later to remove it, which happens rarely to be honest. The majority of authors are pretty cool when it comes to such things since it's another way to get their work noticed. Without a license statement, the most they have is copyright, which only really says you can't claim it as your own.

Xinhuan · 11-02-10, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by ChaosInc

Without a license statement, the most they have is copyright, which only really says you can't claim it as your own.

Not true. Copyright includes the right to redistribute, which is what the original poster wants to do.

Sythalin · 11-02-10, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by Xinhuan

Not true. Copyright includes the right to redistribute, which is what the original poster wants to do.

But Xin is right. It's up to you. Honestly, if there is an issue, the author will contact someone (you, admins, etc) about it. Otherwise, the threat of being sued for including it in a compilation is somewhere around "HA! Yeah right. Anyways...."

***Cairenn*** · 11-02-10, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by Pyrates

there's no license specified.

Originally Posted by ChaosInc

No license IS ARR.

Sythalin · 11-02-10, 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by Cairenn

No license IS ARR.

Ok, I'll be the first to admit I'm no attorney on the matter and my lack of knowledge on the subject is quite apparent. With that, I'll just point the focus to the only point that seems to be truthful:

Honestly, if there is an issue, the author will contact someone (you, admins, etc) about it. Otherwise, the threat of being sued for including it in a compilation is somewhere around "HA! Yeah right. Anyways...."

But then again I haven't googled up past/pending lawsuits for WoW addon compilations. If you're paranoid, don't do it.

Zyonin · 11-03-10, 02:40 AM

Cairenn is correct in that if no license is spefically stated, then "All Rights Reserved" is automatically assigned. In fact, from the moment the work is created ARR is the license by default UNLESS the author chooses to change to specific license (such as an open source, Creative Commons, or something of their own creation) or the work is released as Public Domain. I could dig up the specific US Copyright law citiations somewere however I am on limited time and bandwidth. US Copyright law is generally replicated in other countries via various treaties around the workd.

Pyrates · 11-03-10, 06:34 AM

ARR option? Did I miss something? As far as I am concerned, I did not ever see any license specified here on wowi. Maybe there's one included in the download sometimes, but I've not seen it shown anywhere before the download. I've also not seen any license option for my own addons I uploaded. Am I blind?

MoonWitch · 11-03-10, 07:30 AM

Originally Posted by Pyrates

ARR option? Did I miss something? As far as I am concerned, I did not ever see any license specified here on wowi. Maybe there's one included in the download sometimes, but I've not seen it shown anywhere before the download. I've also not seen any license option for my own addons I uploaded. Am I blind?

What he means is : Any addon without a license specified has ARR per default. So if you don't see a license, the license is All Rights Reserved.

Also in regards to wowi and licenses : WoWI doesn't stipulate which license an addon author can or has to use.
However :
http://www.mmointerface.com/tos.php
http://www.mmointerface.com/privacy.php

Those are as far as I know the relevant wowi statements itself, but it's completely irrelevant to the topic, considering it's the addons author that sets licenses on addons - not wowi.