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Legal violations by A3L: Arma 3 life

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;2869110']Check: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?188238-Arma-3-Server-monetization

In short you can only monetize a server with pure BI content' date=' or your own work with the given restrictions (no gameplay effects),

or if you get the permission for 3rd party (with same restrictions applying).[/quote']

Oh...

My bad, maybe these conditions need a better visibility on the application page.

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;2869110']In short you can only monetize a server with pure BI content' date=' or your own work with the given restrictions (no gameplay effects),

or if you get the permission for 3rd party (with same restrictions applying).[/quote']

that's good. the question is: why put in a "wide range of uses" thing and not additionally a very clear rule about that? you could have both. now it's down to moderation by BI again, which was slow and vague in the past.

and making monetization exclusive to servers just because of "feedback from server owners"? in reality this gives permission to the typical "life method" while modders are still in the same place as before. more inbalance...great.

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Well, I'm out of here: http://www.bistudio.com/monetization

GG for caving in Bohemia, Peace.

That's sad. You're one of the best A3 scripters and... there we go.

But "on server with community content you also need approval for all content from every involved community content authors," doesn't that mean that A3L is breaking those monetization rules?

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That's sad. You're one of the best A3 scripters and... there we go.

But "on server with community content you also need approval for all content from every involved community content authors," doesn't that mean that A3L is breaking those monetization rules?

I dont think many, if any, content creators have the means/funds to take up an international court case against people stealing and monetizing their content.

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Well, I'm out of here: http://www.bistudio.com/monetization

GG for caving in Bohemia, Peace.

Well thats a kick in the balls.

Sorry BIS but thats a half arsed solution that just opens the door to exploits.

People in this community were looking to BIS to provide a solution or framework that would support honest communities and addon makers alike. You've just left the addon makers out in the cold from what I can see. IMO This fixes nothing.

Are BIS going to remove the "license" from the people that break the rules and prosecute them or just leave that up to the addon makers to look after themselves too?

EDIT - For Clarity

And by that i can see several basic scenarios:

  1. A "licensed" server uses third party content without permission, does this mean:

    1. The license is automatically void?
    2. Is the server banned/blacklisted/Removed/Made inoperable?
    3. Legal action is taken against the operator?

[*]An "unlicensed" server is operating a "donate" or "pay to win" service, is the server:

  1. automatically banned/blacklisted/Removed/Made inoperable?
  2. Legal action is taken against the operator?
  3. Steam accounts banned etc?

Either way the Addon makers are responsible for their own IP. But my concern is that as we've seen with A3L, there has been no stronger response from BIS than a brief statement by Matt. Right or Wrong, the perception in my circle of friends is that BIS is unwilling to enforce their own EULA's terms. The message this sends concerns me. Without BIS willing to strongly enforce their own licenses when commercial scale exploitation is going on in the public eye what chance does the average modder have?

See where I'm coming from now?

Edited by RKSL-Rock

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The carrot looks tasty, but the stick looks puny.

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Can't BI handle culprit servers by just excluding them from the server list? "Ban" the servers steam ID?

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That thread is full of win

poster #13

My 2 cents:

The thing I hate is people who were previously part of our community (PsiSyndicate, Pydrex etc.) who actively play on, and promote these servers that are clearly breaking copyright laws and harming our community. It's not like the situation we were previously in where yes, we used a pistol pack or something when we weren't supposed to and removed it as soon as it was complained about; these servers are copied word-for-word and the things that makes me so mad is the use of our logo in the top right of the HUD. Being part of the dev team and the staff team makes this problem even worst knowing that mine and many other peoples hard work is being stolen for the sole use of generating profit!

Not that it is my point to tell you (PL's etc.) but I would pursue legal actions, whatever is available, as this really bothers me (and I'm sure a lot of other people) and it needs to stop.

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It's funny how they take models and other assets from other games, that they don't own, then claim copyright because they modified the asset. Someone needs to educate them on what 'fruit of the poisonous tree' actually means.

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This whole 'Life' craze seems more like a cancerous leech on the community. Its wholesale blatant disregard for copyright/intellectual property laws, both of other games and of individuals, is obvious even to those of us without law degrees and any deep understanding of such laws/regulations. I understand BI are trying to do the right thing by enforcing against such issues,. I also appreciate they are trying to get the community's back by threatening legal action and such if violators of the monetization rules they have introduced are reported. However, when several people (i.e. mods/addon makers/forum contributors etc.) threaten to go on strike (a few pages back in this very thread I believe), it begs the question is what BI are doing enough?

It also begs the question should ANY monetization be allowed? Being part of a small community myself (not an f-ing 'Life' community but a mil-sim unit), I understand that servers can be expensive to run and maintain. Donations are often necessary to keep them going in many cases. However, these donations are exactly that, donations. They are not "Membership fees", and I think BI should go one step further and take action against all such servers that run "Membership fees/Subscriptions", regardless of whether they follow the rules they've already laid out, or if the "benefits/perks" offered are simply extra re-skins or whatever.

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Being part of a small community myself (not an f-ing 'Life' community but a mil-sim unit), I understand that servers can be expensive to run and maintain. Donations are often necessary to keep them going in many cases.
If a community can't survive by way of donations then it's either too small to even need a server, or it's not a community worth being a part of. If a community is worthy enough then the members will value it enough to contribute. If the members don't have enough money to make donations, how are they going to survive when payment is mandatory?

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If the internet cared about stupidity, that thread contains enough to make the web implode and form a black hole.

Caiden even links to: http://amar.arma3.fr/ :O

Cute that he suddenly changed his mind that "addon creators have rights" rather than "It's in a public place we can do what we want with it."

Much less going off on a royal tanget on "learn how make your own stuff" and worse yet casting blame and worse yet thinks that derivitive ownership means just changing some things and slapping your own label.

That's like me going up to someones self made addon, slapping my label on it then saying "Now this belongs to me".

Oh nice, the moment the community starts asking questions the thread gets locked, screw em, now they get to know what it is like to be jerked around by people who don't care.

Edited by NodUnit

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In response to BI allowing monetization: it's not wise to specifically allow such freedom which is vulnerable to exploit (see A3L) when we (the community) have already witnessed the lack of needed enforcement against such perpetrators from your part.

This just opens a big can of worms that have the potential to produce Caiden-like people exponentially.

Edited by zooloo75

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In response to BI allowing monetization: it's not wise to specifically allow such freedom which is vulnerable to exploit (see A3L) when we (the community) have already witnessed the lack of needed enforcement against such perpetrators from your part.

This just opens a big can of worms that have the potential to produce Caiden-like people exponentially.

It amazes how this community fails to understand such simple things. Bohemia can't pursue legal action on behalf of 3rd party content creators. That's why they changed the monetization rules. Now they can give permision to monetize servers to the server owners who behave correctly and only use content they are allowed to use. If they won't then BI can take away their permission. If the server owners will continue with monetization then BI can pursue legal action because they will be breaking their rules.

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It amazes how this community fails to understand such simple things. Bohemia can't pursue legal action on behalf of 3rd party content creators. That's why they changed the monetization rules. Now they can give permision to monetize servers to the server owners who behave correctly and only use content they are allowed to use. If they won't then BI can take away their permission. If the server owners will continue with monetization then BI can pursue legal action because they will be breaking their rules.

They arent pursuing it on behalf of the 3rd party creators... they just need to enforce their own EULA.

It amazes me that people dont understand that.

(...not to mention that BIS haven't publicly enforced their EULA)

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Still waiting to see a wrist slap for taking dayZ stuff.

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I've been following this for about 2 days now and I feel like I missed a lot. I have a few questions so I can understand the rights of community made content and the current state of this situation.

1.) So I could take content made by another person, then turn around and give people the option to pay for a... I'm sorry, DONATE for a premium account and limit free users to the point where it wouldn't be worth while to play as a free user. And as long as I'm not violating the EULA of the game I am hosting the server on, there is very little the person I "stole" the content from could do?

2.) If I did "steal" the content and the person asked me to remove it and I just simple don't replay, what could they really do about it? Pay a lawyer to fight for their rights for free content they posted up for all to us. That sounds like a net lose. Are content creators protected by the site they upload their work to?

3.) What has been the outcome of this situation? Has everyone who is claiming they had there content stolen seen it removed from their server? And the money that has already been made by A3L, has any of it been giving to the content creator or at the very least returned to the donators?

I feel like I have more questions but I'm not sure what they are at this time.

One thing I have been annoyed with is this word DONATE, used by many server owners. Google defines donate as "give (money or goods) for a good cause, for example to a charity." Google also defines purchase as "acquire (something) by paying for it; buy." The word donate is open to way to much interpretation. In my opinion we as people need to change the word donate to "giving money to a cause without an expectation of receiving something in return" For example, when you "donate" plasma, you're really selling it if you accept money in return.<---- IN MY OPINION!! Now-a-days it's almost like purchase and donate can mean the same thing.

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1.) So I could take content made by another person, then turn around and give people the option to pay for a... I'm sorry, DONATE for a premium account and limit free users to the point where it wouldn't be worth while to play as a free user. And as long as I'm not violating the EULA of the game I am hosting the server on, there is very little the person I "stole" the content from could do?
Atm. there is nothing that the person can do except asking you to remove his content. If you refuse, he can complain wherever... but that's it. In theory he'd have the right to open a court case and he'd win it yet this would costs him more money and time than the result is worth as it's mostly an complicated international matter.
2.) If I did "steal" the content and the person asked me to remove it and I just simple don't replay, what could they really do about it? Pay a lawyer to fight for their rights for free content they posted up for all to us. That sounds like a net lose. Are content creators protected by the site they upload their work to?
Answered
3.) What has been the outcome of this situation? Has everyone who is claiming they had there content stolen seen it removed from their server? And the money that has already been made by A3L, has any of it been giving to the content creator or at the very least returned to the donators?
A3L said they will (have) remove(d) it what has been proven to be a lie - they still use the content on their server/mod in most cases. Never heard that they shared with the modders and it'd suprise me if they'd do so. No idea what happend with the money - maybe most went for taxes? maybe they didn't even tell the tax office.. only maybes, we can't know.
I feel like I have more questions but I'm not sure what they are at this time.
Ask later ;)
One thing I have been annoyed with is this word DONATE, used by many server owners. Google defines donate as "give (money or goods) for a good cause, for example to a charity." Google also defines purchase as "acquire (something) by paying for it; buy." The word donate is open to way to much interpretation. In my opinion we as people need to change the word donate to "giving money to a cause without an expectation of receiving something in return" For example, when you "donate" plasma, you're really selling it if you accept money in return.<---- IN MY OPINION!! Now-a-days it's almost like purchase and donate can mean the same thing.

That's what BI is trying to do with the EULA & monetization rules - which are useless if there is no penalty for ignoring them.

Edited by Armitxes

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I read some hilarious things about their server recently

The lead guy found internet love with some girl player on the server and spawned vehicles to impress her. They all had a massive falling out about it.

Incidentally, I just read that sentence back and can't believe I typed it.

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What if they have a different name now?

And if they are allowed to monetize now?

Would change anything?

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What if they have a different name now?

And if they are allowed to monetize now?

Would change anything?

They would have to abide by BIS T's & C's when it came to monetizing, which means not stealing other peoples mods and clamming them as your own.

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