PD Discussion.

[smoth]

Because mod/game related discussions are supposed to go here! Any where else and it should be moved *OBVIOUS HINT*

So I understand that PD is compatible with gpl and CC is not. SO, I want to toss shit out to you guys at the next gundam release, no it isn't coming any time soon. In fact all you faggots and your licenses are part of the reason that everyone has to wait for the goodies. So here is the thing, I have to release the gundam content in a license of some sort because the world has ASPIES!

SO here is the question. IF I release most of the gundam content as PD will that make it possible for someone to then copyright the gundam scripts removing my OWN right to use MY scripts? Or does it just do what I want and allows you lot to use my scripts art and stuff...

IF CERTAIN PEOPLE START CIRCLE JERKING ABOUT GPL IN HERE I DEMAND THIS THREAD BE DELETED!

[clericvash]

I do believe if you release into the public domain it becomes anyones property hence the name public.

To quote it's definition

The status of publications, products, and processes that are not protected under patent or copyright.

So if you release anything under PD i could in theory take it, and use it for something else and claim you never had a part in it, and it would be totally legal lol.

[smoth]

[Neddie]

PD isn't recognized by all political entities, namely Germany.

[smoth]

it was JK who suggested I use it and he is german.

[FLOZi]

Part of his evil plan to make everything GPL

[smoth]

whatever, I am tired of all the fighting. I don't give a fuck what people do with my explosion sprites and nothing I have coded in gundam is anything special. Hell even the models that I can give away(because they are not bandais) are not AWESOME they are just good enough. I mean Christ, we are not writing a new super efficient sort. it's just fucking hobby code.

[KingRaptor]

CC-PD?

[KDR_11k]

PD isn't recognized by all political entities, namely Germany.

False. Citizens of some countries (Germany is not the only one) cannot renounce their copyright completely, that does not mean they won't recognize it if a citizen of another nation renounces it.

Material that is in PD can not be copyrighted again. A derivative work with sufficiently large changes can go under copyright, someone could take your script, change a few things and keep those changes but that does not affect the PD part.

[Argh]

IF I release most of the gundam content as PD will that make it possible for someone to then copyright the gundam scripts removing my OWN right to use MY scripts?

Yes. That's exactly what could happen, legally speaking.

Something put into Public Domain could be taken private, no problems. Something that's in the Public Domain, at least under U.S. law, has no protections at all, save one- people cannot make the original (C). But even a tiny change would be sufficient.

Is it really likely? Hell no. The public reaction would be very nasty, and I don't think anybody working on a commercial project would touch a supposedly PD work with a ten-foot cattleprod anyhow- it'd be too easy for all of the evidence of it being taken PD to disappear and leave them facing copyright violations, among other things. I wouldn't really worry about it- if they're pros and they want to steal, they're going to obfuscate your stuff anyhow.

[KDR_11k]

Yes. [..] people cannot make the original (C). But even a tiny change would be sufficient.

Er, that's a no then.

[Argh]

Stress on "original". I.E., they could change one line of it, and declare it (C), and not attribute it to Smoth, if they wanted to. They just can't go to Smoth or other people distributing the PD original and try to prevent them from distributing it.

[KDR_11k]

Yeah and that latter part was what smoth wanted to know: If anyone could prevent him from using the scripts he wrote.

[Pxtl]

Well, there's the BSD license, which says that you retain ownership of your stuff... but that people can do whatever they want with it including redistribute and sell and whatever. Only requirement is that, if you give away the raw source code unmodified (and thus in a form that the giver has not taken ownership of) you have to include the license.

[Pxtl]

Yeah and that latter part was what smoth wanted to know: If anyone could prevent him from using the scripts he wrote.

Oh, in that case: of course freaking not. No matter how you license stuff to other people, whatever crazy conditions you give them on using your stuff. All these licenses do is describe how other people can use your stuff, nothing about how YOU can use it.

[smoth]

I don't give a rats ass if someone turns around, modifies it and then has ownership of the new script. NOTHING that we are writing both in script or in lua is that out of the ordinary. Most of the time on the projects is spent on the art assets.

The point being that they can do whatever the fuck they want with it, I don't care I just want to be sure that when I DO pd stuff that my ability to make modifications/improvements/continue to use the stuff cannot be taken away. I don't care if someone wants to take credit for the scripts. They are not that good. Now if they try to say they made gundam they would get drama.

[Neddie]

PD isn't recognized by all political entities, namely Germany.

False. Citizens of some countries (Germany is not the only one) cannot renounce their copyright completely, that does not mean they won't recognize it if a citizen of another nation renounces it.

Material that is in PD can not be copyrighted again. A derivative work with sufficiently large changes can go under copyright, someone could take your script, change a few things and keep those changes but that does not affect the PD part.

That is illogical, but often I forget that law is built upon analogy, not rigorous deduction or induction. Apologies for the mistake in interpretation.

[KDR_11k]

The idea is that if you're a citizen of Germany you will always keep the moral rights to your work, you cannot "voluntarily" (AKA "would like to keep my job") forfeit those.

[det]

PD isn't about giving up your rights, it is about granting rights to others. You can still do whatever you want with it, but now can everyone.

[KDR_11k]

To release something into the public domain you have to forfeit your copyright. There are licenses that are PD-like but the real PD is the absense of copyright.