VaM 1.x Concern about removal of interactive assets and impact on the VaM community

[Frief]

Hi everyone,

I’d like to raise a concern that currently affects not only my own work but potentially many other creators as well.

Over the last few days, I’ve been informed by the moderation team that all of my resources containing .cs files — basically, every interactive or script-based asset — are being unpublished due to alleged “license violations.”
The claim is based on the idea that some of my scripts follow the same general structure as the CUA Editor Tutorial by Hazmhox, which was released years ago as a public learning example.

To clarify:
For me a tutorial is a learning guide, not a proprietary codebase.
It demonstrates the basic structure of an MVRScript plugin — exactly the same pattern used by practically every plugin on the Hub.
Nevertheless, this standard structure is now being interpreted as “copyright-protected code,” and I’m being asked to relicense or remove everything that follows it.

The result is that all of my interactive assets — including long-standing ones used as dependencies in countless scenes — are now being taken offline.
That means many community-made scenes will no longer function.

All of my work has been created voluntarily, without payment, and shared freely to help others.
Being asked to retroactively rewrite or relicense code that follows a common VaM standard feels unreasonable and ultimately harmful to everyone who contributes free content to this platform.

If the CUA Editor Tutorial’s basic structure is now considered protected intellectual property, then every plugin author on this platform could be affected.
This kind of interpretation risks discouraging future creators from making or sharing anything interactive at all — which would be a huge loss for the VaM community as a whole.

meaning every creator who has used or learned from that tutorial would have to list it as a credit and adopt its CC BY-SA license.
That would include the majority of interactive resources currently on the Hub.

– Frief

 

[atani]

Code is intelectual property just like images, photos, etc. Same if I were to use one of your resources, make modifications and share it, I would need to follow the license you picked.
Based on what you wrote, that is what was asked: to follow the license terms, or rewrite, or be unpublished (potentialyl banned) for breaking a legal requirement.

 

[Frief]

Code is intelectual property just like images, photos, etc. Same if I were to use one of your resources, make modifications and share it, I would need to follow the license you picked.
Based on what you wrote, that is what was asked: to follow the license terms, or rewrite, or be unpublished (potentialyl banned) for breaking a legal requirement.

No, simply not in this case.

We’re not talking about someone’s creative work being reused — we’re talking about core structural elements that are defined within VaM’s own MVRScript framework.
These patterns aren’t “borrowed” from another creator — they’re part of the scripting foundation that every VaM plugin must follow in order to function at all.

If that were truly “intellectual property” in the same sense as an image or model, then every single plugin on this platform would already be in violation — because all of them rely on the same MVRScript-defined structure, not on code invented by any individual tutorial.

I fully respect license terms for creative or original work, but this is different.
What’s being called “copied code” here is simply the technical skeleton that VaM itself requires.
Treating those mandatory structures as copyrighted material is both incorrect and harmful to the community.

– Frief

 

[VaMStaff]

Frief,

First: Let us state that when a community member chooses to air grievances publicly, they forfeit the privacy that is offered by the moderation team when discussing specific disciplinary actions.

Let's make this short and sweet.

We asked you to credit the authors of the tutorial because some code from the tutorial was copied/used/modified. You didn't credit the authors, not even in your paid content.
Although it's not technically required, you didn't even mention the tutorial in most of your resources (I saw one reference on an early resource, that only mentioned one of the authors).
If you had left credits, no one would have ever approached you about the licensing because the authors of the tutorial just aren't that concerned as long as credit is given.
Since you didn't credit on several resources and even went so far as to make them paid, you pissed off the tutorial author.

The tutorial author made a report to us, the concerns were valid, we temporarily unpublished the work and asked you two things:
1. Please add credits
2. Change the license to SA where applicable

You refused, and went so far as to air your grievances publicly. The unpublished work consists of 13 BDSM/kidnapping related assets.
These assets have been unpublished, not deleted. Scenes requiring these assets will continue to work. The assets currently have CC BY licenses, so you cannot delete them and neither will we.

You did not simply follow a tutorial. You also copied code. In at least one case you "forgot" (your words) to remove code header information indicating the code was written by someone else, even though the moderation team can clearly see the commented section that says it was modified by you. If there is code header information, that means code was copied and modified. Modifying a work, even extensively, does not make it "yours" in terms of licensing. It is still the original work, modified. That, for example, is the purpose of the ND license (no derivatives). In this case, the code is SA, which means it must be licensed the same as the original, even if it is modified.

In order for things to be as you say, you would need to read the tutorial and then write the code from scratch, coming up with your own ideas for how to execute the concepts. If you followed the general structure of the code snippet provided in the tutorial, then you did not do this and the license holds.

Further, as we have stated elsewhere in our licensing guides, a VAR is not a compiled work. It is a ZIP archive containing separate works.
Although it can carry a license itself, the author of the VAR holds the responsibility of ensuring that every item within the archive is compatible with that license.
For example, if you include someone's PC or NC work inside your var, you cannot then license the entire archive (VAR) as CC BY. This is called "license washing" and is copyright infringement.

In this case, what you have done is borrowed code from a tutorial, modified it, then license washed it by placing it inside an archive along with other code and assets and placing an overall license on all the items which violates the original license of the code snippet.

Finally, to reiterate:

This would not have happened or been an issue if you had just given credit.

You have the option of having your work republished immediately. All you have to do is:

1. Add proper credits
2. Apply the SA license for any resources in which the moderation team sees evidence that original code was modified (such as those in which the original headers stating the original author are still in place)

 

[VaMStaff]

In order to ease concerns about the proper licensing of content made with the CUA Editor tutorial, the original author has graciously agreed to update the license to CC BY.

@Frief - at this point the only change the moderation team requires for your content to be published is for you to add proper credits to the resources in which you've used the original author's code.

This would include:

"Dungeon Prison" in which many lines of code, variable names and structure have been copied from the tutorial snippet. An excerpt:

JSONStorableString helpText = new JSONStorableString("About",
"<color=#000><size=35><b>About</b></size></color>\n\n" +
"<color=#333>" +
"Frief Doors Plugin for Dungon Prison , Credits to Hazmhox.\n\n" +
"The doors can be triggered using Acidbubbles Timeline to open and close.\n\n" +
"if you have a door open and save the scene the position of a door is also saved.\n\n" +
"</color>");

"Interactive Transporter for Virtamate", "Black Van 2" :

JSONStorableString helpText = new JSONStorableString("About",
"<color=#000><size=35><b>About</b></size></color>\n\n" +
"<color=#333>" +
"Frief BlackVan Plugin , with help of to Hazmhox.\n\n" +
"The doors can be triggered using Acidbubbles Timeline to open and close.\n\n" +
"if you have a door open and save the scene the position of a door is also saved.\n\n" +
"</color>");

"Wooden BDSM Restraint Chair" which does not even contain credit within the script.

"BDSM Horce" which does not even contain credit within the script. For this resource also you must credit VamDeluxe since you have copied their work into a folder called "VamDeluxe" and given no credit nor have you attempted to transfer the original license.
You will read on the DeluxePlugin git repository that the license terms must be copied with any of the code:
https://github.com/vamdeluxe/DeluxePlugin?tab=MIT-1-ov-file#readme

"Medical Gag"

JSONStorableString helpText = new JSONStorableString("About",
"<color=#000><size=35><b>About</b></size></color>\n\n" +
"<color=#333>" +
"Frief CuffDoors Plugin , Credits to Hazmhox.\n\n" +
"The Cuffs can be triggered using Acidbubbles Timeline to open and close.\n\n" +
"if you have a Cuff open and save the scene the position of a door is also saved.\n\n" +
"</color>" );

"BDSM bar stool" which does not even contain credit within the script.

"BDSM Sattle" which does not even contain credit within the script.

"BDSM Single Pillar" which does not even contain credit within the script. For this resource also you must credit VamDeluxe since you have copied their work into a folder called "VamDeluxe".
https://github.com/vamdeluxe/DeluxePlugin?tab=MIT-1-ov-file#readme

"BDSM Two Pillars" which does not even contain credit within the script. For this resource also you must credit VamDeluxe since you have copied their work into a folder called "VamDeluxe".
https://github.com/vamdeluxe/DeluxePlugin?tab=MIT-1-ov-file#readme

"Handcuffs WIP" where you have credited saying it is based on "rezzabae's cuffs and chains plugin" (which is a loverslab asset which has no license) and in an update in 2022 you then copied Hazmhox's script with no credits, claiming it was your own work and without updating the credit in the description. Ironically, in 2023 there was an update (which you deleted) where you credited imakeboobies, everlaster, and chatgpt, and yourself for a "rewrite", yet the actual script is just another copy of Hazmhox's script, as shown here:

JSONStorableString helpText = new JSONStorableString("About",
"<color=#000><size=35><b>About</b></size></color>\n\n" +
"<color=#333>" +
"Frief CuffDoors Plugin , with help of Hazmhox.\n\n" +
"The Cuffs can be triggered using Acidbubbles Timeline to open and close.\n\n" +
"if you have a Cuff open and save the scene the position is also saved.\n\n" +
"</color>");

 

[Frief]

Hi VaMStaff,

thank you for the clarification, but I’ll leave it at this point.
I don’t plan to update or republish any of my resources.

The elements you’re referring to — such as the About sections, plugin info headers, and JSONStorable structures — are part of VaM’s standard MVRScript framework.
They’re functional necessities, not creative or proprietary content.
Referencing AcidBubbles’ Timeline or adding a short help text is not “copying code”; it’s describing how a plugin interacts with the VaM engine.

Regarding the tutorial: I acknowledge that a header snippet remained from an old template — that was an oversight, not intent.
Treating mandatory framework patterns as “copied code” is a retroactive interpretation I don’t share.

As for “rezzabae’s cuffs and chains” (shared with a “just share, don’t care” spirit) I’ve always stated openly that my version builds on it:
https://www.loverslab.com/files/file/7856-vam-cuffs-and-chains-and-rope/
The same goes for my Discord exchanges with Hazmhox — “with help of” means advice and tips, not that I reused his code verbatim.

On VamDeluxe: I have no intention of misattribution. If a folder name appears, that doesn’t establish license washing; if there is a specific file you believe violates MIT, point to it explicitly and it can be removed from distribution. Broad, non-specific claims aren’t helpful.

Labeling my work as “BDSM/kidnapping related” is inaccurate and inappropriate.
BDSM can be consensual and has always been published within VaM’s guidelines. A transporter/van with movable doors and color controls is not “kidnapping-related.”

You note the assets are unpublished, not deleted. In practice, this still breaks trust and dependencies.
I’ve spent years contributing free, interactive assets that many scenes rely on; being treated like a rights violator over standard framework structure is disappointing and demotivating.
I neither have the time nor motivation to unravel and rewrite work from three years ago to satisfy a new interpretation of boilerplate.
If the direction is that such structure now requires tutorial credits everywhere, then that should apply consistently to all creators who learned from the same material — not selectively.

If the real issue is that my assets aren’t welcome on the Hub, say so directly.
Continuing down this path harms the community more than it helps: scenes will break, users lose content, and creators will think twice before sharing anything interactive here.

 

[VaMStaff]

You are trying to explain VaM code structure to the VaM developers, and licensing rules to the VaM moderation staff.
You are also trying to explain Hub dependencies and how they work to the Hub / API developers.

For the community: To be clear, unpublishing these resources will not break scenes. They simply will not appear in search.
Since the author (Frief) insists that this will happen, we have locked those resources so that they cannot be edited, updated or deleted to assuage any concerns over broken scenes.

To put the "This is just common vam plugin structure" thing to rest:

We are not referring only to the "about" sections. We simply provided those sections of code to demonstrate the inconsistencies in your story.

Code structure, variable names, and execution are also copyrightable parts of the code. Here are some examples:

Here, you have not bothered to remove the original comment from the tutorial code snippet which you copied.

Here again, you failed to remove the original comments from your copied code:

As for the VamDeluxe folder, you have included the file Scripts/VAMDeluxe/Powertools/Clone.cs shown here in the git repository: https://github.com/vamdeluxe/DeluxePlugin/tree/master/Powertools

Even those who are not versed in programming languages can see what has happened here.

Both the moderation staff and the original author have been very gracious in offering a simple resolution to the issue. Simply add credit to the tutorial and tutorial author.

Since you are unwilling to do this and continue to insist on gaslighting both the staff and community, the resources will remain unpublished but available for download as dependencies for any scenes that rely on them.

As for your threat that this will somehow harm the community, we think not.

If anything, you have demonstrated publicly that the moderation team will go out of our way to work with any creator regarding licensing issues or questions and offer reasonable resolutions to those issues when addressed respectfully.

Anyone concerned with creating CUAs using the tutorial can rest assured that there will be no issues provided you simply put in the description that you used the tutorial or borrowed code from the tutorial, which is a CC BY resource.

We thank @hazmhox and any other creators who have assisted in developing this code for their contributions to our community, and encourage others to feel free to use, modify, expand upon, and celebrate this resource.

As a final note, the moderation team discussed but ultimately opted not to require Frief to retroactively provide links to the source material for their various ports, since it is clear they did not create the assets themselves.
It is not our intention to "retaliate" against Frief and we will rely on the original creators of those assets to file a report with us if they so choose. As far as we are aware, none of these assets were created by the VaM community, which would be a different matter.

We do note, however, that the creator Frief, in general, does not demonstrate respect for licenses or attribution and have noted so on their account. This thread will now be closed.