Problem was he sold it. Can’t profit off a mod because it’s technically profiting off someone else’s work. Not defending it, but it’s well known in the modding scene that you don’t do exactly that or this predicably happens.
Basic rules are simple: don’t announce you’re working on it, just release it. Can’t remove the files from the Internet once they’re there. If you announce too early, you give them time to shut it down before release.
And never, EVER, try to profit from it. You run into all kinds of issues, even just using the games name.
This isn’t legal advice so much as “if you want to mod and actually have it see the light of day, follow these guidelines or you’re pretty much guaranteed to get screwed”.
It’s annoying how many people think paid mods are ok now. Sim racing is full of paid mods even though they’re not just mods, they’re unlicensed copies of existing vehicles too.
Yup. And then people point to those mods as proof you can charge for your mod and act Pikachu surprised when someone actually does something about it and your mod gets taken down.
No, Rockstar has been pretty consistent on shutting down all mods for their games. There is a source Port of vice City and GTA III I got shut down too, and it wasn’t for sale.
I know it has to do with copyright issues and having to defend them. If someone else is selling “your product”, it enters a legal area most companies aren’t comfortable with. This is why in the past some very successful mods have been given licenses from the company themselves that allow the mod team to operate as a sort of “independent contractor”.
Problem was he sold it. Can’t profit off a mod because it’s technically profiting off someone else’s work. Not defending it, but it’s well known in the modding scene that you don’t do exactly that or this predicably happens.
Basic rules are simple: don’t announce you’re working on it, just release it. Can’t remove the files from the Internet once they’re there. If you announce too early, you give them time to shut it down before release.
And never, EVER, try to profit from it. You run into all kinds of issues, even just using the games name.
This isn’t legal advice so much as “if you want to mod and actually have it see the light of day, follow these guidelines or you’re pretty much guaranteed to get screwed”.
It’s annoying how many people think paid mods are ok now. Sim racing is full of paid mods even though they’re not just mods, they’re unlicensed copies of existing vehicles too.
Yup. And then people point to those mods as proof you can charge for your mod and act Pikachu surprised when someone actually does something about it and your mod gets taken down.
No, Rockstar has been pretty consistent on shutting down all mods for their games. There is a source Port of vice City and GTA III I got shut down too, and it wasn’t for sale.
True, but the ones who don’t sell tend to exist for longer. The ones that do sell ALWAYS go down.
Very good point.
I know it has to do with copyright issues and having to defend them. If someone else is selling “your product”, it enters a legal area most companies aren’t comfortable with. This is why in the past some very successful mods have been given licenses from the company themselves that allow the mod team to operate as a sort of “independent contractor”.