[Debate] Script Copyrighting

[stormeus]

I think we should have a little debate over the copyrighting of scripts, mainly because I've been digging through a few old threads and I've seen instances of authors asking people to pull down scripts or flaming them because their scripts are similar or based off of one of theirs. I think this is a topic the community is somewhat divided on, so here goes nothing:

What's your stance on scripts and copyrights?

Personally, I think that unless someone releases a script under a license (which even then is a little harder to enforce), they cannot and should not have the right to tell someone else to take down their script just because it's based off of or looks like one of their scripts. My reason for this is that it blocks people from innovating scripts and improving them in ways the original author may not have thought of. Also, if someone wants to make a script with features similar to another server's, no one should flame the new script author just because they want to make their own interpretation of a popular server.

The development of scripts should be progressive, but authors should have some rights as well. That's why I release my scripts and programs (sometimes) under a Creative Commons license, so that people can alter my work as long as I get attribution and, sometimes, share alike and use the same license.

Note
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. This thread is for a friendly debate about how (if) scripts should be copyrighted. We can agree to disagree, but please, do NOT flame other people because of what they believe.

[BIG[H]]

Bla bla bla etc



VCMP has free will Do what ever you like

[stormeus]

VCMP has free will Do what ever you like

Yeah, I don't agree with that. Scripters deserve some credit for their work at times, but what I'm saying is that they shouldn't have the right to pull down scripts if they never licensed their work.

[[AoD]NC]

That's why I release my scripts and programs (sometimes) under a Creative Commons license, so that people can alter my work as long as I get attribution and, sometimes, share alike and use the same license.

You think someone notices that ?

Everyone steals scripts... But some of them are releasing them as their own work or some release them, but say, that a part of it was created by the author... This is SPARTA! shh, VCMP. If you release a script, you must know, that the source can be easily stolen, or would you like to go and ask the law court for help ?

[stormeus]

That's why I release my scripts and programs (sometimes) under a Creative Commons license, so that people can alter my work as long as I get attribution and, sometimes, share alike and use the same license.

You think someone notices that ?

Everyone steals scripts... But some of them are releasing them as their own work or some release them, but say, that a part of it was created by the author... This is SPARTA! shh, VCMP. If you release a script, you must know, that the source can be easily stolen, or would you like to go and ask the law court for help ?

Not to say that people are stealing, it's all in good practice to have someone improve or build off another script. What I'm saying is that unless someone wants to go out of their way to put some uber license on their script that only lets cool people use it, they shouldn't be able to claim someone's stealing or make them take down a script based off something they made.

Plus, it's always good to have some legal basis. Not like I'm going to go to the Supreme Court and sue some guy for millions of dollars because he copied a few lines of code.

[Charleyutton]

If people are going to publish their work for others to see/use then they have to accept people are going to use it. If someone doesn't want other people using it and not giving them credit, they just shouldn't give the script out in public.

As for people copying ideas etc, I agree with you to an extent. I think the copying and updating of old gamemodes is the natural path to improvement, however I have a distaste for it when it is done badly; ie people just trying to cash in on a popular idea. An example of this is recently someone decided to copy my clan's server "Sharks vs Marios" and call it "Sharks vs Marios 2". They had clearly put little or no effort into the script and just wanted to leech off the ideas of others.

This topic made me think of a new discussion, the official list. The job of the official list is to promote and sponsor the best servers and show people what VC:MP is made of right? Well in which case could it also be the job of the official list to protect against copycat servers, by perhaps blocking their ip from the masterlist? Of course it sounds a bit excessive, but after all the list has to have some kind of purpose, the protection would be a good deterrent to copycat scripters.