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11-04-08, 12:47 PM   #1
Rabbit007
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Question about Texture and Copyrights

What are the rules when it comes to other games and textures to be used in UI's?

Exmaple: Devil May Cray.... Would i be able to rip a texture from a screen shot say like a Unite Frame for it to be used in a UI? Or maybe like the sword graphic for the button layout?

Just want to make sure of the rules before I go and do it.. and that I am safe to assume it's ok as I have seen UI's that use stuff from screenshots in other games for WoW UI's

Any help is welcome .

Rabbit

Last edited by Rabbit007 : 11-04-08 at 01:01 PM.
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11-04-08, 01:53 PM   #2
Rabbit007
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Anybody ?
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11-04-08, 01:57 PM   #3
Elloria
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Ive had a few people that have had an issue with some of the interfaces that i have created (aion: tower of eternity, Hellgate London). Really if you give credit to the people who made the game and give links to the actual game i think its fine. I HIGHLY DOUBT any of those game creators would come sue u for making an interface out of their art.
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11-04-08, 02:05 PM   #4
Rabbit007
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Well.. the issue for me is... it's not an actual UI i am wanting to put out there. I want to make art pack for people to use in there UI's . Which I don't see an issue with that cause they could just download the UI and get the art if i did it as a UI sooo... Thanks Ell... wasn't quite sure..
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11-04-08, 02:49 PM   #5
Aesir
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Rabbit007, you know as well as anyone that the real answer isn't on these forums. It's going to depend upon the license and any country-specific laws for the games/art that you have in mind.

WoWI or it's hosting provider or ISP may have their own terms - and perhaps they disallow uploading of copyrighted material where the license does not permit - to protect their own interests from any liability associated with secondary storage and distribution of copyrighted material. There is probably a post around here someplace, or perhaps it's part of the site's ToS that no one reads when they register a forum ID, which might answer the question from WoWI's perspective.
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11-05-08, 03:04 AM   #6
Petrah
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Originally Posted by Elloria View Post
Ive had a few people that have had an issue with some of the interfaces that i have created (aion: tower of eternity, Hellgate London). Really if you give credit to the people who made the game and give links to the actual game i think its fine. I HIGHLY DOUBT any of those game creators would come sue u for making an interface out of their art.
As a retired digital graphic artist, this is a subject that I'm extremely passionate about. Sorry Elloria, it doesn't work that way. Legally you must obtain permission first. We should show the same respect to digital artists as we do to the hard working programmers who create the addons that we use. None of us here in this thread would go so far as to snag someone else's addon and plop it up on WoWI with a simple link back to the author and tell ourselves that its Okay. Being sued is what happens when you do something you shouldn't. What you're basically saying is go ahead and do it because you wont get caught by them... it is the same basic mindset that others use as a copout when they steal another authors addon or UI. Just because you think they won't come get you doesn't mean you are not infringing on their legal rights.


Originally Posted by Elloria View Post
well i went searching back through my old pms and i had an issue with people claiming that im using copyrighted material (the aion interface art) and derailing my thread. I said to Cairenn that i could send a letter to the developers of that game as well as the developers for hellgate london and while i was at it a letter to blizzard for using the wc3 art. She said i didnt have to do anything.

So guess im in the clear
I was one of those people that spoke up about those UI's. Legally, you had no right to take a screenshot of another games UI, edit it to your own liking, and then redistribute it without getting legal permission first. Lets not forget that the artist who created the graphics for those games were paid. You took their paid work and did what you wanted with it without a second thought to how they would feel or if the company even allowed it.

This is not meant to be a personal attack Elloria, and I'm deeply sorry if you take it that way. I just cannot get my head wrapped around the fact that it's very well known here that redistributing another authors UI or addon is a major no no and is grounds for getting yourself a ban, and yet some turn a blind eye to the other types of copyright infringement going on here. It baffles me and I seriously do not understand.

Last edited by Petrah : 11-05-08 at 03:34 AM.
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11-05-08, 07:02 AM   #7
syrupk
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I'm pretty much not sure that it's really fair to use Elloria as such an example when it wasn't was this thread was about to began with, couldn't this be better done through personal message. You know that even if you say it shouldn't, it's going to upset her because her stuff is the only stuff on this site everyone is saying anything about.

If you are that passionate about copyright, then I honestly think that you need to take a look at the (as only one example), the license for every button facade skin that are uploaded with packages. Give everyone a timeline to clean up their packages. Their were questions raised when her UI's went up here and now it's a big deal again? By what you say it shouldn't be allowed at all. And if you call her out on it, then many other things need to be looked at too.

This is an amazing website, this is why we come here. Do i think that the people from those video games are going to start suing people? No, I really don't. However, I do think that if nothing is going to be done about something, then why keep bringing it up?

I'm not trying to be rude in any way. I love this website and respect very much the people who make it what it is. But I do think that this is being handled in the totally wrong way. Easily by personal message you could say the things you need to say. And whether or not Elloria was told that she didn't need to do anything about asking permission for the art in her packages, she was shown she didn't need simply by them being here.
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11-05-08, 07:23 AM   #8
Petrah
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Originally Posted by syrupk View Post
I'm pretty much not sure that it's really fair to use Elloria as such an example when it wasn't was this thread was about to began with, couldn't this be better done through personal message. You know that even if you say it shouldn't, it's going to upset her because her stuff is the only stuff on this site everyone is saying anything about.

If you are that passionate about copyright, then I honestly think that you need to take a look at the (as only one example), the license for every button facade skin that are uploaded with packages. Give everyone a timeline to clean up their packages. Their were questions raised when her UI's went up here and now it's a big deal again? By what you say it shouldn't be allowed at all. And if you call her out on it, then many other things need to be looked at too.

This is an amazing website, this is why we come here. Do i think that the people from those video games are going to start suing people? No, I really don't. However, I do think that if nothing is going to be done about something, then why keep bringing it up?

I'm not trying to be rude in any way. I love this website and respect very much the people who make it what it is. But I do think that this is being handled in the totally wrong way. Easily by personal message you could say the things you need to say. And whether or not Elloria was told that she didn't need to do anything about asking permission for the art in her packages, she was shown she didn't need simply by them being here.

While I may not agree, I still respect your opinion, and your views are still just as important as they were before you replied to my post.
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11-05-08, 08:24 AM   #9
syrupk
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May I ask which part you do not agree with Silenia?
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11-04-08, 03:10 PM   #10
Petrah
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Originally Posted by Rabbit007 View Post
What are the rules when it comes to other games and textures to be used in UI's?

Exmaple: Devil May Cray.... Would i be able to rip a texture from a screen shot say like a Unite Frame for it to be used in a UI? Or maybe like the sword graphic for the button layout?

Just want to make sure of the rules before I go and do it.. and that I am safe to assume it's ok as I have seen UI's that use stuff from screenshots in other games for WoW UI's

Any help is welcome .

Rabbit
The majority of my clients are digital artists, and the business I run requires that I know a bit more than the average joe about copyrights. Having said that, if there is no public permission given on the original artists web site and there is no way to contact them, then don't use it. Otherwise, always always always ask. Never assume that you have permission simply because there is no permission given on their site.

Edit: If you are unsure, check out R.I.G.H.T.S. (redistribution in graphics has to stop) For Artists.
http://www.rightsforartists.com/

Last edited by Petrah : 11-04-08 at 03:13 PM.
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11-04-08, 03:32 PM   #11
Rabbit007
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Thank you much for that... Looks like i am gonna have to learn how to do my own art.. if i can lol... anybody have any pointers to Tut's on using gimp for art creation and what not?
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11-04-08, 04:44 PM   #12
dafire
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You are not allowed to upload any art/font/code here where you don't have the explicit permission to do so. (Either because you are the author, the object allows it by its license or you have the permission from the original author.)

Otherwise you (and the wowi site) could get into trouble.
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11-04-08, 04:45 PM   #13
Elloria
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So then i should just go ahead and take down my aion and hellgate interfaces?
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11-04-08, 04:48 PM   #14
dafire
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I suggest asking an admin by pm, e.g. cairenn http://www.wowinterface.com/forums/p...p?do=newpm&u=6
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11-04-08, 04:54 PM   #15
Elloria
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Originally Posted by dafire View Post
I suggest asking an admin by pm, e.g. cairenn http://www.wowinterface.com/forums/p...p?do=newpm&u=6
well i went searching back through my old pms and i had an issue with people claiming that im using copyrighted material (the aion interface art) and derailing my thread. I said to Cairenn that i could send a letter to the developers of that game as well as the developers for hellgate london and while i was at it a letter to blizzard for using the wc3 art. She said i didnt have to do anything.

So guess im in the clear
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