Solved Scene Vetting/Upload Polocies?

[Twelvepak]

Hi. Just discovered this hub is a thing and joined. I was wondering if it is ok, or frowned upon to post scenes here that are created with content that was made by others, but are available for free by those others.

 

[MacGruber]

"Available for free" does not mean you are allowed to use it for whatever. Make sure the licence of the content you are using the and the licence you are releasing under is compatible. A common thing for example would be that the original author excluded commerical use or requires you to credit him. In that case, even if you release for free, you would need to release under the same conditions....because someone else might want to use your content again.

Content from many stores like for example Unity store or DAZ store, even the free stuff, can't legally be released for VaM. The licence conditions don't allow it.

You can always try to contact the original author, explain what you wanna do and make a deal. Quite often the authors did not intend to release under such strict licences, but you can't assume that, you have to ask. Maybe wave a few $$$.

Edit: If you can get the licences sorted out, it is very welcome here to reuse stuff by others! VaM packages (VAR) use CreativeCommons licences, which makes it very easy to figure out what you are allowed and not allowed to do.

 

[MacGruber]

Here is a great example what NOT to do: https://hub.virtamate.com/resources/evilinnocence-swimsuit.589/
When you check on the license of the mentioned source it says:

In simple terms, the license says that you can use our content to make images or animations, both commercial and non-commercial, but you cannot otherwise redistribute our content in any other format.
(...)
The following are examples of pojects which are not allowed under this license.

• Creating a game using one of our sets since a user of the game could extract the set from the game assets.
• Selling a texture pack created by rendering one of our textures onto a flat plane.

This allows you to import their content into VaM and post images and video of it. However, you CAN'T share the imported content. Besides the obvious violation, you also leave Meshed to deal with the legal fallout, which is, lets say "not nice".

Best way to deal with this would be to contact the author/siteowner. Possibly the siteowner would allow @CuteSvetlana to upload the VaM version of the swimsuit on the Evilinnocence store and just link from here. Or maybe the siteowner is even fine with having it here as it bring potential traffic to the store, but you would have to confirm with the siteowner.

 

[CuteSvetlana]

Here is a great example what NOT to do: https://hub.virtamate.com/resources/evilinnocence-swimsuit.589/
When you check on the license of the mentioned source it says:

This allows you to import their content into VaM and post images and video of it. However, you CAN'T share the imported content. Besides the obvious violation, you also leave Meshed to deal with the legal fallout, which is, lets say "not nice".

Best way to deal with this would be to contact the author/siteowner. Possibly the siteowner would allow @CuteSvetlana to upload the VaM version of the swimsuit on the Evilinnocence store and just link from here. Or maybe the siteowner is even fine with having it here as it bring potential traffic to the store, but you would have to confirm with the siteowner.

Ok Mr MacGruber, I get your point. I am contacting the site owner. You may notice I was forthcoming in the source and I was giving publicity to his otherwise little known website

However, if you get to the fine points of the legalities, you will notice the license applies to purchased products.
"This license applies to Poser and DAZ Studio content items purchased through The MarketPlace at EvilInnocence."
purchase - the acquisition of something for payment.

Cheers!

 

[MacGruber]

You may notice I am forthcoming in the source and I am giving publicity to his otherwise little known website.
Cheers!

Yes, exactly. If the site owner is reasonable he will allow it, at least for the free stuff. VaM should be good advertisement for him.

 

[CuteSvetlana]

Yes, exactly. If the site owner is reasonable he will allow it, at least for the free stuff. VaM should be good advertisement for him.

Thanks. I appreciate your understanding.

With regards to policing, here is meshedvr's statement on Discord
"Most likely if you use content from another game, it is violating copyright and/or licensing and could be subject to takedown. We can't possibly police all content or even know if content is in violation, so in some cases the content might stay up unless a formal complaint is filed. Ultimately the person posting the content is held liable, so proceed at your own risk... "

Highlighting the last part.
Cheers

 

[Twelvepak]

Appreciate the responses. MacGruber, I am glad you posted on the thread, as your "secret room" stuff is something I use a lot of in the scenes that I make. The chains are awesome. Your answer runs a little deeper than my skill level though. I don't know how to take assets from other games, engines, sources, etc. and put them into VAM. That is not really what I was meaning in my original post. I was meaning more along the lines of using things that people have already made for VAM, for example, your "secret room" stuff to build small scenes that really look more like glorified GIFs when I make the scene, lol. I certainly did not mean in any sort of money making fashion, I just meant for making short scenes to make available for free, with free stuff. I have a couple of short fun scenes that I have made, but I didn't create anything, I just made the scenes, and would like to share here, but the whole way the business runs around this game is just difficult.

For further example, what I mean by difficult is, to make one simple scene I used props from your "Secret Room", Mofme's fluids, Kemenates fluids, one of N3Ds models, hair by VamChan, etc. etc., all VAM stuff that has already been made, but is available for free by the creators. The built in props to use for decorating a scene is so limited, it is almost a necessity to use props from alot of different peopel to make even the simplest of scenes. But it is a long drawn out process to try and get permission from each and every one each time before sharing a free scene, for free, made with free stuff, that was freely given.

What is your own policy MacGruber? Are you ok with people using your asset bundles in scenes as long as they are not charging for them? Things like the chains, bars, hooks, etc.?

 

[MacGruber]

What is your own policy MacGruber? Are you ok with people using your asset bundles in scenes as long as they are not charging for them? Things like the chains, bars, hooks, etc.?

All my content, unless otherwise noted, is released under CC BY-SA license, possibly after an EarlyAccess period. This allows you to easily build scenes where you reference my VAR packages and also post screenshots/video, as long as you credit me properly. That explicitly includes commercial use! However, if you modify my content in some way, you have to release under the same CC BY-SA license as well as credit me. This means it doesn't make sense to resell the modified package, as your first customer can just share it for free. All these conditions are use implied by using CC BY-SA, they are not specific for me.

When is special for my content is that when I release as EarlyAccess you are already allowed to share screenshots/video or a scene that references my stuff. Obviously I can't let you redistribute my packages before EarlyAccess is over.

VAR packages have a field where the creator can set the license. When creating a VAR package you can only select among a few variations of the CC license as well as a "Paid" license, that reduces the chaos quite a bit. At least if everyone would use these correctly.

 

[Twelvepak]

All my content, unless otherwise noted, is released under CC BY-SA license, possibly after an EarlyAccess period. This allows you to easily build scenes where you reference my VAR packages and also post screenshots/video, as long as you credit me properly. That explicitly includes commercial use! However, if you modify my content in some way, you have to release under the same CC BY-SA license as well as credit me. This means it doesn't make sense to resell the modified package, as your first customer can just share it for free. All these conditions are use implied by using CC BY-SA, they are not specific for me.

When is special for my content is that when I release as EarlyAccess you are already allowed to share screenshots/video or a scene that references my stuff. Obviously I can't let you redistribute my packages before EarlyAccess is over.

VAR packages have a field where the creator can set the license. When creating a VAR package you can only select among a few variations of the CC license as well as a "Paid" license, that reduces the chaos quite a bit. At least if everyone would use these correctly.

I'm going to assume all that means no, don't share scenes I make if I used any of your props. Thanks then.

 

[MacGruber]

I'm going to assume all that means no, don't share scenes I make if I used any of your props. Thanks then.

Well, it means quite the opposite?

 

[Twelvepak]

Well, it means quite the opposite?

Oh, guess I totally misunderstood then, lol. I'm not good at legal speak...….