[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Tilesets in 1.13.0

[Raahul Kumar <raahul_da_man@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- Daniel L Speyer <dspeyer@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Sun, 19 May 2002, Raahul Kumar wrote:
> 
> > 
> > --- Reinier Post <rp@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > On Sat, May 18, 2002 at 07:44:08AM -0700, Raahul Kumar wrote:
> > > 
> > > > Public Domain license, so we can GPL the graphics or do whatever we
> want. As for the graphics stolen from Civ 2, Daniel got them all. There were
> also some infringing in Per's R-Hires.
> > > 
> > > I have seen the messages, but not the tilesets.
> > > Can anyone verify the contents of
> > > 
> > >   ftp://ftp.freeciv.org/contrib/tilesets/
> > 
> > Known tilesets that are clean:
> > 
> > Cevo2.tgz (Get rid of Cevo.tgz, it has some graphics from Civ 2, with minor
> > changes like colour etc) Not our fault. The Cevo people have been
> infringing.
> > 
> > R-Hires(Per?). Per claims he got the last of the infrining graphics.
> > 
> > Hires.
> > 
> > The rest I have no idea. I assume they are clean. Lexxy is probably clean.
> > 
> 
> Lexxy is clean if trident and engels are clean.  There may (I'm not
> sure) be an old version floating aroung with a questionable galleon.  I
> can't remember if I distributed that one or not.  The galleon was very big
> and sort-of strange-looking.  Just delete all old versions to be safe.

> BTW: I am slightly suspicious of the Hires Ironclad -- it looks
> *extremely* similar to an actual photograph of an actual ironclad.  The
> photo was taken ~150 years ago, but its digitization may have
> re-copyrighted it (IANAL).  There are many strange lines in the sprite
> which don't make sense but were in the photo.

IANAL either, but digitization does NOT give you copyright. I cannot for
example,take J.K Rowling's books, scan them, and do what I like. The copyright
remains with the originial creator, and if it expires, it expires. Your mileage
may vary depending on country(But this is true for all countries following
British Common Law). This means I cannot take Alice in Wonderland, digitize it,
and sue everyone who downloads a different digitized copy from Project
Gutenberg. Probably not even if it is my copy. Only if I make changes to it
(derivative) and then it gets hairy. You can possess copyright to a derivative
work.

If you're in the US I wouldn't take the chance. They can nail you over
absolutely anything they care to make up. Please don't say that Freeciv.org is
located in the U.S.

> This should remind us that there are more places to copy from than
> enslavedciv.  In particular, we know that c-evo took from civ2 and Hires
> (which isn't legal either, GPL -/-> PD, but I leave that to the Hires
> author).  It is possible that they took from other illegal sources as
> well.  Unless we can find the actual creators of every sprite, cevo should
> be viewed with a bit of distrust. 

No more so than any other tileset. We can show due to these emails ;), that we
took every possible step to avoid infringement. At worst, they can get us for
distributing. That will mean we will have to remove the graphics.

> --Daniel Speyer
> If you *don't* consider sharing information to be morally equivalent to 
> kidnapping and murder on the high seas, you probably shouldn't use the
> phrase "software piracy."
> 

Aloha,
RK.

... But among the children of the Great Society there were
those whose skins were black.  And lo!  Their portion was niggardly,
and of the fatted calf they were sucking hind teat ...
Now it came to pass that a prophet rose up amongst them, and
they called him King.  And he went unto Pharaoh and said, "Let my
people go to the front of the bus."
But Pharaoh answered: "In the fullness of time and with all
deliberate speed shall this thing come to pass.  When ye shall prove
yourselves worthy, shall ye have your just portion -- yea, verily, like
unto a snowball in Hell."
-- "The Begatting of a President"

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