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Slik Stik - Any Word
Fozzy The Bear:
--- Quote from: Tiger-Heli on January 21, 2008, 08:28:11 am ---The answer came down to a legality that copyrights can be applied retroactively unlike trademarks and patents (I am not a lawyer), so since they were Scott's (Cyberpunk's) IP, he could specify how they could be distributed.
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Actually in legal terms that's not the case at all. If you release something into the public domain, you can't then later (retrospectively) take it back as your own copyright property.
However...... The technicality may lie with the fact that although Scott distributed them freely, that does not necessarily make them public domain, and as the designer of them he does have the right to determine how they are distributed, unless he specifically released them to public domain.
This was the cause of the confusion between "Freeware", which is free to download but on which the owner reserves his rights (as in these plans) and "Public Domain" which is also free to download but on which the designer does not reserve rights and you can do as you wish with (which did not apply to these plans).
If something is public domain, then you can edit it or alter it or even re-sell it if you want to. If something is Freeware then mostly your rights are restricted to your own personal use and you may not re-distribute it (usually the restrictions applied by the original designer are legally valid).
Hope that clarifies the issue......
So Tiger-heli.... No, you can't retrospectively apply copyright... A designers copyright is automatic from the time he creates the design. If he then releases it to "Public Domain" he can't later claim any copyright over it. But if he releases it as "Freeware" He can reserve whatever rights within the law he sees fit to reserve.
Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)
rovingmind:
Great clarification Fozzy, and something to keep in mind for anybody posting designs.
NoOne=NBA=:
--- Quote from: Mameroom on January 18, 2008, 09:39:51 am ---Here, let's end this...it's noone's fault in the BYOAC forums...
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I just wanted to go on record about this.
1) It was NOT my fault.
2) I wasn't even involved.
3) I don't appreciate getting blamed for it.
:laugh2:
Havok:
Haha - you've got to be careful laying blame...
On a separate note, does this thread really need to go on? I think we only need one more post in it... The new name of whatever business Christian is operating under...
8)
Barry Barcrest:
The Cyberpunk username was changed to VMJ Team, Do a search on the VMJ Team posts and you see that username was Cyberpunk before. We all know what a jolly fellow he was, maybe there has been now reply because he is drinking away everyones money with Christian.