Use of Linking Panels

[andylegate]

I've been asked by the Maintainers several times, if the use of Cyan linking panels is a copyright violation (IE you put a linking book to the Cleft in your Age, and of course in the python scripting, you have that linking panel).

I've explained to them that as far as I know, no it's not a copyright violation because you are linking to their Age. What is to stop someone from getting into the exact same position in the Age and snaping a pic, then sizing it to make the same linking panel? Nothing is what.

So whats the word on this?

[belford]

Well, you're right that using Cyan's Cleft jpeg and taking a screenshot of Cyan's Cleft model are equivalent. The bad news is that both are copyright issues. "Because you're linking to their Age" is meaningless in terms of the law.

I don't know how strict Cyan wants to be about such things. Obviously the Internet is full of people using small amounts of Cyan IP without asking permission. Everyone who makes a fan video with screenshots, or puts an Uru screenshot on their web site, is violating Cyan's copyright. Equally obviously, Cyan does not have a policy of sending legal warnings to every such person.

If you want to be strict yourself, then ask Cyan's permission before you use any piece of art they created (including text, texture, and 3D model).

[Paradox]

A link to an existing Cyan Age should be allowed, the panels are stored in a global file and we've been told that global files are available for use in fan-Ages.

Now, I'm not encouraging links to Cyan Ages, as that complicates the relationship between fan-Ages and Cyan Ages.

[Zander]

This is an issue that I would really like to become problematical. That would make me happy.

At the moment, if I'm not mistaken, everyone who is using fan-made Ages has bought a copy of Uru CC. This means that they have the Ages included therein on their computer anyway, and can presumably use them and the images of them contained in Linking Panels while playing Uru CC and for that purpose. If I go into Camp Bravo and I see a Cleft Linking Book on the floor, the image in that Cleft Linking Book is the same one I've got in my Cleft Book in Relto, and the Age it links to is the Cleft Age in the game files I bought the use of when I paid for the boxed game. I don't see that there is a copyright issue here as things stand.

So, if it were to become a copyright issue, that would be because fan-made Ages were being made available to people who had not bought the boxed game, which could only mean that Uru was back online! Yay!

Or am I wrong? Or just strange? (Strange I could live with.)

[Owehn]

If Cyan's linking panels are in fact global parts of the game, then I see them as the same sort of thing as avatar animations and footstep sounds.

[Grogyan]

Its my belief that we can't use the pics in the linking panels, but we can use the links themselves.

Easily solved, just use flymode and take a pic yourself.

But we should veer from Cyans material altogether, except the "GlobalAnimations" for obvious reasons

[Paradox]

The Linking Panels are in the global GUI foles, which also contain the KI and other common UI items.

If necessary, we can use them, however I (again) think that fan-Ages should be kept separate from Cyan Ages as much as possible.

[Trylon]

The linking images used for linking to Cyan ages are not stored or distributed in any way with an Explorer Age. They are merely links to a game file.
This means that by using such images we are not distributing any of cyans IP, but merely linking to it. And since the images are only used in-game, in the way they are intended to be, it isn't a copyright violation, but using a feature of the game (engine). Just like the footstep sounds, and the Global Animations.

It is substantially different from taking a screenshot and using that, because a screenshot would need to be distributed along with your Age files, while thhis only links to the existing game files.

Simple rule-of-thumb: As long as you just link to existing files, and don't distribute the files along with your game files, you're safe.

[andylegate]

This goes with what I was thinking.

The linking panels in my Age are not textures that are inluded within the Age, but as was pointed out, a link in they python scripting to game files that already exist on the users hard drive.

Saying the linking panels are a copyright violation, would make the Avatar, footstep sounds, the KI, etc, all copyright violations.

[Trylon]

Saying the linking panels are a copyright violation, would make the Avatar, footstep sounds, the KI, etc, all copyright violations.

Exactly.