"borrowing" scripts and graphics
Is there any problem if I'll take some graphics and/or scripts from other DMODS and put them in mine? Of course, I'll mention the authors in the readme.txt.
You should ask each dmod author about if you can use their graphics and/or scripts.
Ok, I would like to ask Paul if I can use his riddle system, but I think he's not really active these days, so he probably won't read this.
Email him... I'm sure he wont mind. Redink1 also used something like it in "Initiation".
By memory it doesn't use any new graphics, just what comes with Dink - which I found very clever; as opposed to the system I used in SOB and PQ which was full screen and new graphics.
By memory it doesn't use any new graphics, just what comes with Dink - which I found very clever; as opposed to the system I used in SOB and PQ which was full screen and new graphics.
Can someone give me Paul's e-mail adress?
You could try the one in his account: link but it could be that it no longer exists, you know how fast e-mail addresses can change 
Assuming the graphics and scripts are in .bmp and .c format, I don't think there's any problem with using them without permission. Crediting the author is probably a nice thing to do.
Not much problem?! What abour intelectual property rights? Morally the only time you can use someone else's creations is with their permission or long after their death.
I don't think I've ever met a Dinker, maybe excluding you, who gave a rat's ass about "intellectual property rights" accompanying their Dink-related works.
Actually intellectual property right automatically exists.
As for this "me caring" I care only on a moral level. So far the only Dink projects I have made are made spefically for others to use without spefically asking me. However, this does not mean I am waving my intellectual property rights. It simply means that I am giving automatic permission for their use in the projects of other Dinkers while retaining my intellectual property rights.
Intellectual property rights are something that cannot be waived. The cloest one can come is the automatic use permission I have so far granted.
EDIT: Now this is of topic, so it's best discussed in a sepreate thread not here.
As for this "me caring" I care only on a moral level. So far the only Dink projects I have made are made spefically for others to use without spefically asking me. However, this does not mean I am waving my intellectual property rights. It simply means that I am giving automatic permission for their use in the projects of other Dinkers while retaining my intellectual property rights.
Intellectual property rights are something that cannot be waived. The cloest one can come is the automatic use permission I have so far granted.
EDIT: Now this is of topic, so it's best discussed in a sepreate thread not here.
"Actually intellectual property right automatically exists."
I already knew that. I'm sure a lot of us knew that. I'm just saying many people around here aren't concerned with it. If you can somehow bring up a past case where some D-Mod author was ticked off over someone yanking his or her intellectual property, I'll be mighty surprised.
I already knew that. I'm sure a lot of us knew that. I'm just saying many people around here aren't concerned with it. If you can somehow bring up a past case where some D-Mod author was ticked off over someone yanking his or her intellectual property, I'll be mighty surprised.
By releasing graphics and scripts in .bmp and .c format, D-Mod authors are implicitely granting other D-Mod authors the use of them. You can easily distrubute graphics in dir.ff and scripts in .d format, which sends a clear signal "don't take my stuff."
It isn't like D-Mods are a bastion of intellectual property rights... almost every D-Mod includes midis composed by others and used without permission. And many of these midis are based on music found in videogames, and violate intellectual property rights themselves.
It isn't like D-Mods are a bastion of intellectual property rights... almost every D-Mod includes midis composed by others and used without permission. And many of these midis are based on music found in videogames, and violate intellectual property rights themselves.
There was only one special case where I actually contacted an author about crediting me with some things in their d-mod, which I probably wouldn't have cared about if it hadn't been for the extenuating circumstances of the situation.
As far as Intellectual Property Rights are concerned, as soon as you publish your work, you are granting permission for people to use your work. Whether you sing a song, write a poem, draw a picture; as soon as you offer it to be experienced in some way by the public, you are granting an explicit right to everyone in the world to use it also.
Now, your ability to be the first to perform it publicly does mildly enhance your ability to prove ownership. Another thing that goes a long way is to actually register it with the appropriate agency, but even this does not assure that you retain ownership. If the work is good enough, it often comes down to who is more known and who has the biggest purse invested in lawyers.
The benefit of "First Public Performance", and indeed a granted copyright, is the fact that you are entitled to be PAID by anyone who has a financial gain from also exhibiting your work in their own arena.
As a song-writer, it would be a blessing to have several large acts do a cover of one of my songs. I could earn royaltiy income and other derivatives from each performance.
If you don't want other people to use your work, don't publish or publicly display it. If you want to share it, copyright it so you can get paid if somebody else uses it. Once you have put it in the air, it is available for everyones use.
mm
Now, your ability to be the first to perform it publicly does mildly enhance your ability to prove ownership. Another thing that goes a long way is to actually register it with the appropriate agency, but even this does not assure that you retain ownership. If the work is good enough, it often comes down to who is more known and who has the biggest purse invested in lawyers.
The benefit of "First Public Performance", and indeed a granted copyright, is the fact that you are entitled to be PAID by anyone who has a financial gain from also exhibiting your work in their own arena.
As a song-writer, it would be a blessing to have several large acts do a cover of one of my songs. I could earn royaltiy income and other derivatives from each performance.
If you don't want other people to use your work, don't publish or publicly display it. If you want to share it, copyright it so you can get paid if somebody else uses it. Once you have put it in the air, it is available for everyones use.
mm
By "use" I do not mean use in that way. The only reason I publicly release things is for people to use. That's probably the only reason anyone has done public releases. By use I mean use in their own project. It is immoral to use someone's else's project in your own unless you have explicit permission (in either the form of all-round automatic permission (as in my own Treasury and Dink.Ini Rewrite files, which can be used in ANY Dink project not just dmods) or permission that is granted after release).
As for registering copyright, here in New Zealand copyright legally exists automatically as soon as an original work is created. In fact in New Zealand there is no way to formally apply fot copyright. Here in New Zealand we can only formally aply for Registrations, Trademarks and Patents.
Also in New Zealand it's generally the one that can prove earlier creation (usually with a date on the product). The problem with that, though, is that you could copy someone's else unreleased product and put an earlier date than theirs.
As for registering copyright, here in New Zealand copyright legally exists automatically as soon as an original work is created. In fact in New Zealand there is no way to formally apply fot copyright. Here in New Zealand we can only formally aply for Registrations, Trademarks and Patents.
Also in New Zealand it's generally the one that can prove earlier creation (usually with a date on the product). The problem with that, though, is that you could copy someone's else unreleased product and put an earlier date than theirs.
In Canada and most democratic nations, copyright is understood once the work is in a tangible form, a mere Idea is not.
Proving authorship is difficult everywhere, so publishing to a wide enough audience lends credence to ownership.
Again, copyright is not really a proof of ownership, it is merely an indicator of who is entitled to be paid, should that work be used by anyone.
As for registering in New Zealand, they may have agreements to honor Copyrights from other nations. If you register in those other nations, then your country would likely honor them as such.
While I am on this topic and flapping my gums, a copyright is not international. You are required to file a copyright in each nation that your work may be "reproduced" in, in order to gain full financial benefit from the use of your work.
Proving authorship is difficult everywhere, so publishing to a wide enough audience lends credence to ownership.
Again, copyright is not really a proof of ownership, it is merely an indicator of who is entitled to be paid, should that work be used by anyone.
As for registering in New Zealand, they may have agreements to honor Copyrights from other nations. If you register in those other nations, then your country would likely honor them as such.
While I am on this topic and flapping my gums, a copyright is not international. You are required to file a copyright in each nation that your work may be "reproduced" in, in order to gain full financial benefit from the use of your work.
So, in other words, I can "borrow" Paul's riddle system, but it would moral to make another one myself?
So in other words, go ahead and use it, just give him a mention in the readme text and it'll be fine!
It would be worthwhile asking him first, but I should think he'd be pretty cool with it. As long as you give him due credit in the readme file or something, I shouldn't think he'll physically hurt you.
Mental abuse is more his forte.
Mental abuse is more his forte.
"but I think he's not really active these days, so he probably won't read this" so to save time.. Use now, ask later!
If this is about the riddle system in Lyna's Story (the only Paul D-Mod with riddles in it that I know of), this thread is about crap. The last paragraph of ReadMe.txt:
"You are welcome to use anything from this DMod (including .c files).
I would not have FFed the graphics but it was nessesary to stay
under 600BK. A mention in the credits of your DMod would be nice of
course. If you want any of them, let me know. I've left a few
graphics that seemed likely to be useful in BMP format. These can be
found in the Tiles folder, and include the new cliff graphics, and
the blank images in different palette use to create the negative
image effect."
Does this answer the question?
"You are welcome to use anything from this DMod (including .c files).
I would not have FFed the graphics but it was nessesary to stay
under 600BK. A mention in the credits of your DMod would be nice of
course. If you want any of them, let me know. I've left a few
graphics that seemed likely to be useful in BMP format. These can be
found in the Tiles folder, and include the new cliff graphics, and
the blank images in different palette use to create the negative
image effect."
Does this answer the question?
I think it's quite worthwhile to go ahead and email him first to see if you get a quick response, unless you're being held at gunpoint and this particular D-Mod needs to be out in days/hours/whatever. He doesn't post very frequently, but he does seem to lurk more often than not.
Edit: Well, in light of Magicman's research... we can all safely feel like goofs now, eh?
Edit: Well, in light of Magicman's research... we can all safely feel like goofs now, eh?
From my perspective, you would be okay to use them. The creator would be entitled to payment, and magicman points out that Credit to the author would be appreciated.
It would be a good idea to try contacting him, it may even prompt him to come up with another offering.
my 2 p,
mm
It would be a good idea to try contacting him, it may even prompt him to come up with another offering.
my 2 p,
mm
While I am on this topic and flapping my gums, a copyright is not international. You are required to file a copyright in each nation that your work may be "reproduced" in, in order to gain full financial benefit from the use of your work.
Actually, it is mostly international. Most of first world countries have agreed to honour each other's copyright laws. Which means it is international. This is referred to as the International Copyright Treaty.
While I am on this topic and flapping my gums, a copyright is not international. You are required to file a copyright in each nation that your work may be "reproduced" in, in order to gain full financial benefit from the use of your work.
Umm, no. In New Zealnd any file that is reproduced in New Zealand you cannot file a copyright in New Zealand. Copyright automatically applies.
Besides what you should say is:
You should file a copyright in each nation that your work may be "reproduced" in, in order to gain full financial benefit from the use of your work.
Actually, it is mostly international. Most of first world countries have agreed to honour each other's copyright laws. Which means it is international. This is referred to as the International Copyright Treaty.
While I am on this topic and flapping my gums, a copyright is not international. You are required to file a copyright in each nation that your work may be "reproduced" in, in order to gain full financial benefit from the use of your work.
Umm, no. In New Zealnd any file that is reproduced in New Zealand you cannot file a copyright in New Zealand. Copyright automatically applies.
Besides what you should say is:
You should file a copyright in each nation that your work may be "reproduced" in, in order to gain full financial benefit from the use of your work.
Ahh, well that's different. That's blatant granting of permission. Since I have never looked at the dmod I assumed the permission wasn't automatically granted. But if it is then it is okay to use them.
Most of first world countries have agreed to honour each other's copyright laws.
The third world is unlikely to give 2 (or even 3) hoots about copyright laws, but how would those of the second world have felt? That's what I want to know!
The third world is unlikely to give 2 (or even 3) hoots about copyright laws, but how would those of the second world have felt? That's what I want to know!
I wonder what would have happened if I'd asked "are mp3 legal?". 
