Warning a warning of "Copycats"

davies_mike57 said:

Some Trainz members state in the licence of the uploaded KUID freeware if you are permitted to reskin or alter the work.
So it is best to check in the Trainz Content Manager the kuid licence (sometimes left blank) to what you can't or can do.

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• If the licence is left blank then you have to assume that you do not have permission to reskin or alter. If you are really keen then you can PM the creator but no response also means no permission. Don't assume that the creator is dead or has left the Trainz community for good because death or absence does not cancel the creators copyright.

• Something that most copyright violators either don't know or don't want to know is that an asset on the DLS is free for members of the community to use in their routes/session, it is not free to alter in any way and then post to the DLS (or another site) as your own work.

• Most creators have no problems with users altering an asset for their own purposes as long as it stays on their system.

• You can, however, upload a route or session you have created that uses any assets on the DLS (or built in) because your uploaded route/session only references the original assets, it does not copy them.

davesnow said:

Who cares? I create something and put it out there for free then promptly forget about it because if someone wants to "steal" it there's absolutely nothing I can or want to do about it so who cares.

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Same here I don't care as long as ppl get something out of the crap I made in the past.

As much as we want to have our precious creations protected, the modern reality is that copying has become so easy that enforcing that seems to have become a losing battle. Don't know if it is a cultural or age thing but some seem to think that there is nothing wrong copying other's objects, ideas, creations, etc. For every high profile fraud-artist that is caught and exposed, dozens of others continue under the radar. I don't think that is a good thing but you have to pick your battles. At least we can choose not use those objects that are known to be illegally copied.

I will add to the comments above by Martinvk.

Because the DLS is free to all Trainz users there is no economic incentive to copy, alter and re-post the work of others - unlike movies and music. This also removes the likelihood of legal action against violators because, as has been discussed elsewhere in these forums, such action would be very expensive for the copyright holder and the violators themselves are extremely unlikely to be wealthy.

The best we can do is to be vigilant. If some-one notices a new asset that they suspect is an unauthorised copy then they should inform the original creator who is the only one who can confirm (or not) if that suspicion is a fact . If confirmed, and if the original creator is prepared to take the matter further, then the usual N3V reporting process can be used to remove the item(s). In the meantime a warning can be placed in these forums.

This, of course, only applies to the DLS. Third party web sites may have different procedures or none at all. If the web site belongs to a violator who is unwilling to remove the asset then there may be very little that can be done, beyond issuing warnings in these forums.

I agree with the comments that once you post something on the Internet it is out of your control. If someone wishes to copy, alter and re-post any of my work then I would hope for, at the best, an acknowledgement. But I will not lose any sleep if I don't get that.

For those of you who were effected by this copycat he has reposted most of the content on the UKTS site. Usinfg the name Hans 12.

I know the feeling. I just ignore it. It's YT's problem, I don't really count it as a distraction though.

Corey_Trainz said:

I know the feeling. I just ignore it.

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One day you will ignore something & it will bite you in the ass. :hehe: