Licenses/Copyrights on the Themes

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Licenses/Copyrights on the Themes
Topic Started: Jul 3 2009, 12:30 AM (882 Views)
Grant A.	Jul 3 2009, 12:30 AM Post #1
Unpacked Posts: 106 Group: Members Member #377,930 Joined: July 3, 2009	Something I noticed about most of the skins, is that they have a pretty hardcore copyright on them, that forbids editing. Once a user leaves, their skins become locked as they are, and can never be updated by anyone else due to the strict copyrights. This is why I would like to raise awareness of a few licenses that allow you to keep your copyright, but also allow people to edit your skins and redistribute them, provided they say that they were made by you in the first place. These licenses are called Creative Commons licenses. They can range anywhere from allowing anyone to do anything at all with your creation, or to being essentially a strict copyright. Almost all Creative Commons licenses require attribution to you if the creation that was licensed is redistributed/modified. Please don't let great themes die, please allow us to edit them and make them even better for future boards. To license a creation under a creative commons license, all you have to do is say, "this is licensed under the<creative commons license name>." You can customize what you want people to do with your creation, by using this license generator Here are a few of the Creative Commons licenses: CC-BY: Allows anyone to modify, redistribute, and relicense your creation, as long as they attribute to you. CC-BY-SA: Allows anyone to modify and redistribute your creation, as long as they attribute to you. (recommended) Others exist, but it's recommended that you use the license generator, because it selects the jurisdiction that your license is governed under. Also, if you click the icons you receive after you use the generator, you will be taken to a "human readable summary" of the license, that spells out people's rights to the creation that you licensed under that license. I am in no means against copyrighting material, but it's just so sad to see that skins made by people, such as Kman, will never be adapted to Zetaboards, because they didn't have a liberal license, but a hardcore copyright. Please don't let your themes and graphics suffer the same fate!
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ssp0929	Jul 3 2009, 01:21 AM Post #2
Settled In Posts: 205 Group: Members Member #291,281 Joined: August 5, 2007	I thought once you publish your skin/theme/etc. The copyright effect is gone, unless you actually go out of your way to get another one.
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Grant A.	Jul 3 2009, 02:47 AM Post #3
Unpacked Posts: 106 Group: Members Member #377,930 Joined: July 3, 2009	ssp0929 Jul 3 2009, 01:21 AM I thought once you publish your skin/theme/etc. The copyright effect is gone, unless you actually go out of your way to get another one. No, in the United States, the copyright lasts until 70 years after you die. However, if you license your work, then your work is stuck under that license until you decide to change the license, or until 70 years after your death. However, once you license something under a certain license, that version will always be under that license. You can't license something under a license, and then just revoke it, it doesn't work like that. Edited by Grant A., Jul 3 2009, 02:54 AM.
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ssp0929	Jul 3 2009, 03:08 AM Post #4
Settled In Posts: 205 Group: Members Member #291,281 Joined: August 5, 2007	Well, imo. It won't do much good to copyright something unless it has a high monetary value.
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Lydia	Jul 3 2009, 03:24 AM Post #5
Cogito ergo sum Posts: 6,734 Group: Former Staff Member #56,844 Joined: February 27, 2005 Latest Design http://zbthemezone.com/topic/5034253/	The skins and themes in the galleries took a lot of effort out of the staff who made them. We don't want our work modified or redistributed without our knowledge (and really our permission). If somebody asks, then half of the people will give permission for modifications; however, I know I feel more at ease knowing who is making changes and what forum it is on. When it came time for converting skins to themes, the staff asked for permission and took on the task of the conversions. Many oldies come here still... maybe not daily, but they still show up every now and then. Also, I'd like to point out these two areas: Basic Skins Gallery and Basic Themes Gallery. We allow people to use those to create their own and post them here or anywhere as long as attribution is given.



Grant A.	Jul 3 2009, 03:51 AM Post #6
Unpacked Posts: 106 Group: Members Member #377,930 Joined: July 3, 2009	That's perfectly fine, but CC-BY-SA is a nice license that allows people to edit and redistribute your artwork, however, they have to attribute to you. I know that it takes a lot of time and effort to make a skin, but shouldn't the knowledge of making something amazing that makes people happy be its own reward? Even if they redistributed the skin, they would have to attribute to you, which would still let people know that you made it, and if they didn't, then it would be copyright infringement. Also, because people know that you made the art, your work would not be in vain. I respect your wishes to keep an ironclad copyright, but Free culture isn't such a bad thing.
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Leda	Jul 3 2009, 04:15 AM Post #7
cARpE dIEm Posts: 13,865 Group: Former Staff Member #194,930 Joined: July 21, 2006	Decisions have to be made during the conversion process because the CSS of InvisionFree and ZetaBoards differ greatly. I have converted three InvisionFree skins and it's not as easy as it looks. I wouldn't feel right converting a skin without showing the end result to the original creator. Just because a skin can be converted doesn't mean it will be converted well in that it stays faithful to the creator's original skin. Also since, ripping is common, what's not to say a skin is successfully converted with the attribute to the creator attached only to later be altered in some way by someone else who then sticks their name on the theme? Once you allow people the freedom to edit it becomes difficult to track changes.
	Yellow Icon Inspired \| X:GEN \| TriColor Jam Conversion DJ being poked for all eternity with the emoticon he made for me! (thanks DJ!)


Grant A.	Jul 3 2009, 04:25 AM Post #8
Unpacked Posts: 106 Group: Members Member #377,930 Joined: July 3, 2009	Excellent question! You see, as long as the person who originally made the art's name is kept on the artwork, then the person can attach their name to it, as well. Who's to say that they shouldn't get attribution for their modifications? No one, and it's one of the requirements of the license. Ripping of Free as in freedom products happens all of the time, and most of the time, they are resolved. Several corporations have been sued by the Free Software Foundation because they didn't completely follow the rules of a license. Not just that, but if two pieces of artwork are under compatible licenses (Ex. One theme is under the BSD license, and the other is under CC-BY-SA), then you are legally allowed to mash them up. However, since the BSD license doesn't require attribution, you can leave the name of the person who made the BSD licensed content out, even though it's proper netiquette to attribute to them. That's the beauty of Free works, they can be mashed up and fixed together (unless the licenses contradict each other, like the Creative Commons licenses and the GNU General Public License). Not everything is as black and white in Free culture as it is with copyrights. There are tons of websites with Free as in freedom content posted on them, and you almost never see an illegal rip (e.x. taking from a GPL licensed art and mashing it together with a Creative Commons licensed art). That being said, you are certainly welcome to keep ironclad copyrights. True freedom is the freedom of choice, and the creator of a work should be allowed to choose what they want done with it. This topic is purely to raise awareness.
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Leda	Jul 3 2009, 04:33 AM Post #9
cARpE dIEm Posts: 13,865 Group: Former Staff Member #194,930 Joined: July 21, 2006	I don't think you'll find many skinners at the Theme Zone who will appreciate having their hard work "mish mashed." But that's just my opinion. Nor do I feel converting a theme allows me the right to put my name on it. The original graphics alone are unique to every artist and the correlation between good graphics and good skins is important. I haven't put my name on any conversions I've done nor will I ever do so.
	Yellow Icon Inspired \| X:GEN \| TriColor Jam Conversion DJ being poked for all eternity with the emoticon he made for me! (thanks DJ!)


Dave	Jul 3 2009, 04:46 AM Post #10
TZ Addict Posts: 7,504 Group: Former Staff Member #81,202 Joined: June 14, 2005	I think you're making very reasonable points, Grant. This is something I've put a lot of thought into, and I think if I were to create a theme at this point, I would allow people to do whatever they want with it as long as they were reasonable about giving credit where credit is due. Of course, other people (namely the prominent theme designers here and elsewhere) have different opinions about how they want their work treated. As you said, that's their choice and there's nothing anyone can do to make them change their ways. After all, their reasons for wanting to protect their work are fundamentally sound. I wouldn't ever try to aggressively pursue convincing them otherwise because I simply wouldn't feel right. I will say that it's a little bit ridiculous when someone wants to change something as simple as, say, a font color, but they are technically not allowed to because the policy is strictly "No edits. Period." That, to me, is not an example of an artistic spirit. It is petty. Moving forward with how we look at the protection of designers' work is a good thing. I would urge theme designers to consider exactly what they consider acceptable and unacceptable about how their work is handled, and why they think that way. That kind of self-examination may reveal a better way of doing things.



tiptopolive	Jul 3 2009, 04:50 AM Post #11
the last poets Posts: 5,166 Group: Former Staff Member #75,744 Joined: May 22, 2005 Latest Design http://resources.zetaboards.com/topic/5079853/1/	Dave Jul 3 2009, 04:46 AM I will say that it's a little bit ridiculous when someone wants to change something as simple as, say, a font color, but they are technically not allowed to because the policy is strictly "No edits. Period." That, to me, is not an example of an artistic spirit. It is petty. Moving forward with how we look at the protection of designers' work is a good thing. This is sort of a tangent point, but that policy is, to my understanding, just a way to prevent the whole "give a mouse a cookie" situation. It's happened to me before - let one person make an approved edit, and you'll get 10 PMs in a week asking to change slightly more substantial things.



Dave	Jul 3 2009, 04:57 AM Post #12
TZ Addict Posts: 7,504 Group: Former Staff Member #81,202 Joined: June 14, 2005	tiptopolive Jul 3 2009, 04:50 AM Dave Jul 3 2009, 04:46 AM I will say that it's a little bit ridiculous when someone wants to change something as simple as, say, a font color, but they are technically not allowed to because the policy is strictly "No edits. Period." That, to me, is not an example of an artistic spirit. It is petty. Moving forward with how we look at the protection of designers' work is a good thing. This is sort of a tangent point, but that policy is, to my understanding, just a way to prevent the whole "give a mouse a cookie" situation. It's happened to me before - let one person make an approved edit, and you'll get 10 PMs in a week asking to change slightly more substantial things. The point I'm making is that it should not have to be on a PM basis at all. At the least, you could specify simple edits that are allowed without your prior consent, and then there's no issue.



tiptopolive	Jul 3 2009, 05:21 AM Post #13
the last poets Posts: 5,166 Group: Former Staff Member #75,744 Joined: May 22, 2005 Latest Design http://resources.zetaboards.com/topic/5079853/1/	Dave Jul 3 2009, 04:57 AM tiptopolive Jul 3 2009, 04:50 AM Dave Jul 3 2009, 04:46 AM I will say that it's a little bit ridiculous when someone wants to change something as simple as, say, a font color, but they are technically not allowed to because the policy is strictly "No edits. Period." That, to me, is not an example of an artistic spirit. It is petty. Moving forward with how we look at the protection of designers' work is a good thing. This is sort of a tangent point, but that policy is, to my understanding, just a way to prevent the whole "give a mouse a cookie" situation. It's happened to me before - let one person make an approved edit, and you'll get 10 PMs in a week asking to change slightly more substantial things. The point I'm making is that it should not have to be on a PM basis at all. At the least, you could specify simple edits that are allowed without your prior consent, and then there's no issue. That's true, and I've seen some designers do that, but still, its at the discretion of the creator.



SuperSleuth	Jul 3 2009, 05:56 AM Post #14
Unpacked Posts: 62 Group: Members Member #350,154 Joined: July 30, 2008	You guys could always put an "edit here if you wish" section in the CSS of your skins/themes, like how scripters put the variables at the top of a script that the user can edit (separating them from the rest of the script with comments). Edited by SuperSleuth, Jul 3 2009, 05:57 AM.



Kuzco	Jul 3 2009, 06:00 AM Post #15
universal Posts: 1,452 Group: Members Member #261,475 Joined: March 31, 2007	Most themes include such a snippet if the theme has areas permitted for edit without prior consent from the designer.



Leda	Jul 3 2009, 06:03 AM Post #16
cARpE dIEm Posts: 13,865 Group: Former Staff Member #194,930 Joined: July 21, 2006	The.Dark.Knight Jul 3 2009, 05:56 AM You guys could always put an "edit here if you wish" section in the CSS of your skins/themes, like how scripters put the variables at the top of a script that the user can edit (separating them from the rest of the script with comments). It's been my experience that most members asking if they can make edits don't have the required knowledge to make the changes. I recommend members not grant editing permissions to their hard work.
	Yellow Icon Inspired \| X:GEN \| TriColor Jam Conversion DJ being poked for all eternity with the emoticon he made for me! (thanks DJ!)


Xenom	Jul 3 2009, 07:04 AM Post #17
TZ Addict Posts: 6,520 Group: Members Member #292,562 Joined: August 10, 2007	I don't mind people editing my work as long as they keep in my copyright and don't edit that. To be perfectly honest, I don't see why small edits such as font color and the background color really matter that much. Surely if you wanted more people to use your theme then you could at least allow them to edit a little bit. But hey ho.. your choice I suppose.



Dave	Jul 3 2009, 07:15 AM Post #18
TZ Addict Posts: 7,504 Group: Former Staff Member #81,202 Joined: June 14, 2005	Lewis Jul 3 2009, 07:04 AM I don't mind people editing my work as long as they keep in my copyright and don't edit that. To be perfectly honest, I don't see why small edits such as font color and the background color really matter that much. Surely if you wanted more people to use your theme then you could at least allow them to edit a little bit. Indeed. If nothing else, I think designers should just consider being more open with their work. Think about it. What do you lose from allowing someone to alter your work to more fully suit their needs while still giving you full credit for your work? I'll tell you what you gain -- a theme that has a much broader demographic. Your theme will be usable by a lot more people, because issues that previously held back certain genres, themes, or ideologies are free to be modified. For designers submitting themes to a resource board, providing usability to more board owners seems like a desireable goal.



Xenom	Jul 3 2009, 07:24 AM Post #19
TZ Addict Posts: 6,520 Group: Members Member #292,562 Joined: August 10, 2007	Dave Jul 3 2009, 07:15 AM Lewis Jul 3 2009, 07:04 AM I don't mind people editing my work as long as they keep in my copyright and don't edit that. To be perfectly honest, I don't see why small edits such as font color and the background color really matter that much. Surely if you wanted more people to use your theme then you could at least allow them to edit a little bit. Indeed. If nothing else, I think designers should just consider being more open with their work. Think about it. What do you lose from allowing someone to alter your work to more fully suit their needs while still giving you full credit for your work? I'll tell you what you gain -- a theme that has a much broader demographic. Your theme will be usable by a lot more people, because issues that previously held back certain genres, themes, or ideologies are free to be modified. For designers submitting themes to a resource board, providing usability to more board owners seems like a desireable goal. Carrying on from your post... The ultimate goal for a resource board owner is to get as many members using the themes they have on offer, so why not be a little more open to suggestion and actually allow your members to edit the themes. Maybe introduce a system of where members edit the themes but then must contact the owner of the theme via PM and ask if the finished product is okay. I say this because if a theme is badly edited, I wouldn't particularly want to put my name to it.



Sith	Jul 3 2009, 10:30 AM Post #20
Monochrome memories and colourless melodies get too loud Posts: 4,343 Group: Former Staff Member #76,145 Joined: May 24, 2005	People could make a post in their blog about what changes and such they will allow to be made to their themes (including whether permission is required), then that blog post could be linked to with each theme that is posted.
	Looking for guest theme contributions on themeszetaboards.com - If you're interested in having your theme added to the database there please PM me and I will take a look - Must include at least a basic graphics pack


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