NOTE: When you build an area here, it becomes the property of Banner and SW:GI itself. Whether it is one(1) or two-thousand(2000) vnums, it is ours. Should you ever leave, we will not under any circumstances, remove the area. You may not have a copy of it. We do not want our work on other MUDs, and your work will remain here as long as you or even after should you leave or get fired. Do not bother asking to have it removed if you leave, it will not be done. By beginning, editing, or having an area here, you have thusly agreed to this and all rules concerning the building of an area on this MUD.
Although this mud is no longer open, I know he intends to work on some new project. I thought people should be aware of these types of things because obviously intellectual property laws do not pertain to him.
Well that's a lovely thought. Such a policy posted in the open would almost surely drive away any potential builders. How buried in the rules/policies/whatever was that?
He waited to tell you until right before you started. Said it was standard stuff. Kind of included in this speech about read buildrules1, 2, etc, oh by the way, I am going to rob you, also, if you need help, check the helpfiles. I know better but a lot of new builders don't.
It is with great and utter sadness that I must announce the end of what was once a great MUD. I have owned and programmed Galactic Insights for a little under four years, and I worked with the codebase for two more before that as a builder. I love the source and game to death, but it has become more of a hassle and a headache than a love for me to keep it online these past few months. Some of you may know what I speak of, in fact, I would not doubt that all of you know what I speak of.
Our playerbase has grown to nothingness and our immortal staff has shrunk. Why? This is the cause of a few players within the MUD, and a few people outside, that wish to see downfall to the MUD. I don't need to name names. You know who you are, and here you have it. SW:GI shuts its doors. But you think you have won? No, you have lost. Instead of being able to beat me by sheer intelligence and better coding, you insist on ruining me by spreading lies about my faithful immortals and discrediting my name, stealing my players and ideas and turning my otherwise faithful immortals against me. In this, you have the upper hand, because I cannot bring myself to fight such a war, and I won't. But I go out with a grin on my face knowing that I have won.
What does this entail? SW:GI as a MUD will cease to exist. The forums and website will remain online until the domain expires, and if you wish to communicate with me, this is the method you should use. The SW:GI server will stick around, because I have other uses for it, and I intend to start afresh somewhere else. If you wish to be a part of this, by all means, follow me on the forums. But the MUD? The MUD will be locked down to you. No, I will not release the source. It will be stuck on a jumpdrive and locked away in a dark, desk drawer. You cannot have it. Do not ask. It is mine, and I am a selfish prick who will not give out the code that I've worked on for the past four years.
The best part is, no one that I know of has been turning his immortals against him but him, and no one's been trying to steal his players. However, I'll not hide the fact that several of them have come looking for me and Katiara.
IMHO, there's nothing wrong with that policy, so long as it's made clear to area writers before they begin their work. Most MUDs might be free, not-for-profit, volunteer dependent projects, but that doesn't mean that they can't retain all rights to work created specifically for that game. I would probably register an LLC and write up some kind of formal contract (NDA maybe?) since a forum post or helpfile is hardly a legitimate medium, if I were going to pose such a policy. While it's prick-ish, who cares? If you want to retain the rights to your contributions to a game, pick one that lets you.
That kind of thinking is the whole reason that there are intellectual property laws. You decide you want to take someones hard work and make it your own.
Well, that would be your choice. Just as it was YOUR choice to close your mud. As it was YOUR choice to not act when you saw things going south. Although you may try, you can't blame me or anyone else for you leaving, closing your mud, etc … These are personal decisions you make based on previous actions of your own.
As a MUD you need to however protect yourself against builders who might on a whim decide that their areas be pulled. Especially when considerable time is spend training a builder and proof reading each area by an admin, particularly when heavy scripting is involved. Not entirely sure what would allow this legally, probably something like a permanent license to use the builder's intellectual property.
As a MUD you need to however protect yourself against builders who might on a whim decide that their areas be pulled. Especially when considerable time is spend training a builder and proof reading each area by an admin, particularly when heavy scripting is involved. Not entirely sure what would allow this legally, probably something like a permanent license to use the builder's intellectual property.
Well, you can claim a non-revocable right to use the area. But you cannot claim ownership of an area just because it was built on your mud. This violates the area author's intellectual property rights. Nor can you legally withhold an authors right to a copy of their work. Both of which, this draconian rule does.
As a MUD you need to however protect yourself against builders who might on a whim decide that their areas be pulled. Especially when considerable time is spend training a builder and proof reading each area by an admin, particularly when heavy scripting is involved. Not entirely sure what would allow this legally, probably something like a permanent license to use the builder's intellectual property.
I see your point here. I even understand the area needing to stay in the mud. Once it is changed in anyway, it isn't the same area the person build anyway. What really concerned me the most in that was the statement "We do not want our work on other muds".
Banner and SW:GI itself. Whether it is one(1) or two-thousand(2000)
vnums, it is ours. Should you ever leave, we will not under any
circumstances, remove the area. You may not have a copy of it. We do not
want our work on other MUDs, and your work will remain here as long as you
or even after should you leave or get fired. Do not bother asking to have
it removed if you leave, it will not be done. By beginning, editing, or
having an area here, you have thusly agreed to this and all rules
concerning the building of an area on this MUD.
Although this mud is no longer open, I know he intends to work on some new project. I thought people should be aware of these types of things because obviously intellectual property laws do not pertain to him.