An email to TA IP owners

[Gota]

I think it is time to consider starting some communication between the TA clone fans in Spring and the TA IP owner to get permission to use the TA models textures and sound.
I don't think it's to far fathced to ask them to allow us to use these resources which are 11 years old...
WE can offer to change all names and remove all TA references and not present the clones as ta sequels.

1)does anyone KNOW with complete certainty who is the TA IP owner?
2)Who do you think should try and communicate with the IP owner and in what manner?

[imbaczek]

don't. lawyers are evil.

[Gota]

don't. lawyers are evil.

I just think this would be the easiest solution...
Replacing 400 models with proper looking ones seems almost impossible ATM.
I really think they might just allow us to use them for free as long as we don't try and profit from them.

[Quanto042]

Thats fine. Its called "Fan Based Games"

IE: There is a gentlemens agreement between game developers and their fanbases to allow fans to create free "clones" and mods based on their IP.

The only game developers that don't really abide by this gentlemens agreement are Japanese Game devs. Cause they have dicks for heads. (Anyone remember the Mods based on Team-ninja's game?)

Either way, there really isn't going to be any threat from US game developers hitting us from any legal hell.

You guys are just afraid of your own success.

[Gota]

Well obviously some people are fearful thus getting a formal permission would help make this clear for all who Participate in the Spring project.

ATM,if I understand it correctly,we are not even allowed to host ta stuff on Spring's server...

[TheFatController]

I think it is time to consider starting some communication between the TA clone fans in Spring and the TA IP owner to get permission to use the TA models textures and sound.
I don't think it's to far fathced to ask them to allow us to use these resources which are 11 years old...
WE can offer to change all names and remove all TA references and not present the clones as ta sequels.

1)does anyone KNOW with complete certainty who is the TA IP owner?
2)Who do you think should try and communicate with the IP owner and in what manner?

There is no problem with us using them as long as we don't present them as TA.

Also no I don't think contacting them is a good idea they might get the wrong idea and set some lawyers on us without realising that noone here makes any money from this.

[Gota]

If there is no problem than why are people saying we cant advertise ta clones or host ta resources like the models and textures on Spring's website?
People still think of it as stolen resources.
WE can just contact TA IP owners anonymously asking to use ta resources without even mentioning Spring just to know their policy and what they think.

[TheFatController]

WE can offer to change all names and remove all TA references and not present the clones as ta sequels.

Also why randomly offer to do something inconvenient to us that makes no sense. Best strategy would be to offer nothing and do what they ask if the worst comes to the worst.

[Quanto042]

If there is no problem than why are people saying we cant advertise ta clones or host ta resources like the models and textures on Spring's website?

I already said, they are shit scared. OF NOTHING

[Gota]

WE can offer to change all names and remove all TA references and not present the clones as ta sequels.

Also why randomly offer to do something inconvenient to us that makes no sense. Best strategy would be to offer nothing and do what they ask if the worst comes to the worst.

Sure.
I was merely trying to show that there is a very high chance we can reach some sort of deal.
Think about it...11 years...even EA is not so greedy.
If we are not stealing the franchise why would they care about these models and textures..

[TheFatController]

If there is no problem than why are people saying we cant advertise ta clones or host ta resources like the models and textures on Spring's website?

Cause there's always a small risk of a cease and desist and i'm sure the people who maintain the Spring Engine would rather not risk having their hosting company pull the site etc.

[Master-Athmos]

Talk to Chris Taylor and make him talk to the IP owners so they release TA for free as SupCom 2 advertisment just as C&C does it for its titles...

That would probably be the best thing to happen...

If there is no problem than why are people saying we cant advertise ta clones or host ta resources like the models and textures on Spring's website?

There is a problem about it and always will be. It just seems like nobody cares and they even seem to have the rights for the TA IP being written down as a footnote in some contract so they actually aren't really aware of owning that franchise whoever it was right now...

[Gota]

So what company are we dealing with?maybe if we know who has the actual rights we can at least check what happened with It's other titles.

[Master-Athmos]

Use the search function I guess. Someone tracked it down one time and wrote that company getting a response of the kind that they aren't really aware of owning that licence they got by buying the respective company...

[zwzsg]

They wouldn't be able to grant us license to use sounds they bought from a sound bank anyway, even if they wanted.

[Master-Athmos]

Do you actually know where they bought some stuff from? I always heard certain FX in either games, movies or TV series and was sure that I heard them in TA before...

[MidKnight]

Stock sounds.

[Tribulex]

Stock sounds.

well now we have to find where they came from.

[KDR_11k]

Lawyers don't grant permission like that. They'll either not respond at all or tell you "no". Not responding lets them tell you "no" later on. Releasing TA for free like C&C would still not absolve *A because freeware is just for download as-is, not for modification.

[Neddie]

If there is no problem than why are people saying we cant advertise ta clones or host ta resources like the models and textures on Spring's website?

I already said, they are shit scared. OF NOTHING

We are not scared nor are we concerned about nothing. We do not own the rights to the above, nor are these rights organized in such a way as to permit our legal use, distribution or modification of the above. The law matters, as much as people wish or believe otherwise.

The email is not a solution.

There are two solutions.
1. Remove the infringing content and obscure the history thereof.
2. Remove the infringing games, maps, etcetera from the Spring entity.

The Japanese are the only people who permit regular use of non-game media in derivatives, so I would not demonize them unnecessarily. Furthermore, numerous American and European companies do not abide by the "gentleman's agreement" which Quanto refers to... or have we forgotten Games Workshop, Bungie, Microsoft, MCA, etcetera? Much of the Japanese resistance stems from a history of legal conflict with heavy handed American entities such as Philips, Tengen, New York State, Alpex, Accolade, etcetera.

It is, in part, the job of the administration and upper developers to protect and ensure the future of the project. Among other things, this includes managing the interaction of Spring with other legal entities. We could introduce a firmer position on content which is neither covered by fair use nor GPL nor truly free, but I am certain that many of you would not like it.