Map Piracy [Resolved-*Lock me*]

[legacy-kevinroe327]

What are the steps to take if someone has ripped off your level? Why work so hard on a map for someone to come along and rip it off? While discussing my map, someone brought to my attention that a certain person modified Romra and put my "wagon wheel" on it.
This person would be Scud [Scudbuttt @ AIM or Scudbutt Yahoo.com], owner of:
...::: DarksideBattlegrounds :::...NonCompetativeForNoobs

After loading up the map in question, which is named:
CTF--RomraMoonStation--2k5
He BLATENTLY copied and pasted large portions of my map, keeping most of the same textures. He also used Wø£vê®ïñË™'s map as the base, and neither Wø£vê®ïñË™ or I give him permission to do so.

Screenshots of my map:

Screenshots of "his" map:


If you will notice: Same two rings, Same 4 walkways between the two rings. Since my walkways wouldn't fit, and I was too lazy to resize them, I simply subtracted off the excess, and retextured accordingly. As you can see in the 4th screenshot of "his" map, the same cropping is there...but the retexturing is not. Also, the two slanted support beams, same as on my map. And dont forget, same textures. The only thing new is he switched a few of the textures around, and made the center ring a little thicker [by adding another donut shaped ring inside of it. But why have two rings when you can have one? O yeah, because you didn't make it!]

What can be done about this problem? This is only my fouth map [and its still in the Beta phase], and it really makes mapping seem pointless if some asshat can come along, steal half of your map, paste it on someone else’s map, claim it for his own, put it up on his server, and get away with it. At the very least, I am asking you to boycott this map and his server.

The lastest version of my map

Let the news spread:
Atari
Beyond Unreal
Cains Lair

Post your opinions here.

Maddox
I hate people.

So true.

[legacy-q03]

Did you copywrite the maps before you released them?

If you did go see a lawer.

If you didn't there isn't much you can do.

[Jake-SF]

Its something you will never be able to do anything with...

I can easily take anyone's map and claim it to be mine - I could even say you are not saying the truth and that you took part of HIS map.

Im not saying this is true neither. You see, its the life - your best bet would be to never post you map until it is pretty much done and post it somewhere in this forum, this way you can easily claim its yours before anyone steal it - but you can't stop it, you can't change it. No one will pursue the one who stole your map or anything.

Its hard to claim something has "our" property, simply because the stealer could say the same thing...

[legacy-squoibymox]

Why do people whine and moan about issues like this?

If you put something in the public domain you've RELEASED IT TO THE WILD. You've "let the genie out of the bottle". You've "opened Pandora's box". You've "let the cat out of the bag".

Some people will "give credit where credit is due", and some people won't - it's been that way forever...

[Angel_Mapper]

Originally posted by squoibymox
Why do people whine and moan about issues like this?

If you put something in the public domain you've RELEASED IT TO THE WILD. You've "let the genie out of the bottle". You've "opened Pandora's box". You've "let the cat out of the bag".

Some people will "give credit where credit is due", and some people won't - it's been that way forever...

Not everyone has the same callous attitude towards things like this as you do.

[legacy-Xaero*nz]

Originally posted by squoibymox
Why do people whine and moan about issues like this?

If you put something in the public domain you've RELEASED IT TO THE WILD. You've "let the genie out of the bottle". You've "opened Pandora's box". You've "let the cat out of the bag".

Some people will "give credit where credit is due", and some people won't - it's been that way forever...

because they spent hours and hours creating the content? im sure you would feel the same way if this happened to you... true nothing can really be done about it except boycotting the content theif, but it doesnt mean its right...

@kevinroe: That sucks well and truly, but yea i think the only thing you can do is boycott this guy... but i wouldnt get too hung up on it if you can help it.

[-=¤willhaven¤=-]

When your map is final and ready for release, delete all the BSP brushes and save the map for upload somewhere. Makes map piracy much harder.

[legacy-Juggalo_Kyle]

holy **** thats a good idea WillHaven.

to bad most of my maps are outdoors.

[legacy-pielover87]

I totally agree that map piracy is bad, however there isn't much you can do unless you copyrighted it, which would be pretty hard considering the UT2K4 EULA.

[Angel_Mapper]

Actually I'm pretty sure that maps made with UEd are copyrighted by both yourself and Epic. Just as you can't sell the map without their permission, they cannot take your map and sell it without yours.

[The_Deacon]

To me there's a trade off between making a map difficult to pirate (BSP delete etc), and making a map that honest people can learn from.

Some way to 'lock' a map from being edited at all, but still viewable (no copy paste either) might in theory be a good thing, but there's probably drawbacks since I only thought about it for around 30 seconds

[Jezza101]

have you spoken to the guy in question? He may genuinly not realise that he has done a bad thing...?
On the whole people are pretty good about this kind of thing.


tbh theres isnt much you can do, I guess there is a legal argument in your favour but realistically what could you ever hope to win and at what cost?!

At the least you should be flattered that someone liked your work that much. Id also try to contact him in a polite manner - go in all guns blazing and he will get defensive, but give him an opportunity to apologise and he probably will. Kindly ask him to respect your work and unless he is a genuine *** Im sure you will get a positive response...

GL!

[legacy-And I Fall]

Originally posted by q03
Did you copywrite the maps before you released them?

If you did go see a lawer.

If you didn't there isn't much you can do.

wrong. anything you create automatically has a copyright. just because you didn't put the little copy right line in there, doesn't mean squat.

[legacy-eviL<3]

What an Idiot, i hope you get your Credit and GL with your Map

[=XM=]

This is an annoying topic. I personally GPL any code I release publicly. And if I got into mapping I would sure want people to modify my maps: to learn, to change what they don't like, to make it better suited for a particuliar purpose, to allow it to develop, to encourage re-use of content, whatever.

Being able to re-use content or ideas allows for a faster and larger output of content for the game. I guess I just have a disgust for enforcing intellectual property rights in general. To me it only slows things down and hinders progress in general. You just have to take a look at the US patent office, granting patents on making peanut butter sandwiches, using your legs to go faster on a swing, using a torch to entertain a cat or the method of opening bras with one hand, one click to buy something online, etc...

When you derive profit and make a living from IP, there is some argument in favour of you having a temporary monopoly on the ownership and distribution of whatever it is you made, because it allows you to buy food and live and as the creator you have some right to make limited profit from it temporarily. When by virtue of its nature, for example game mods and game maps, you do not make monetary profit from it, it's nonsense to try to enforce sole right of ownership. Will this guy making a modified version of your map prevent you from distributing yours, affect your income, make its inclusion in your portfolio any less impressive. What I genuinely don't understand is why it annoys you that someone else is using it?

Even if he did put his name on it and did not acknowledge the source of the conent and did a poor copy-and-paste job, I ask you two questions. Will one (or perhaps a few) asshats make it better to lock your content and cut out people who would happily indicate you as a source and find your work good enough to re-use some of the content or make a modded version of your map with say, different weapon placements, or simply learn from you? The positives things in this: an extra map for the game, some people who might enjoy it when playing on that "non-competative noob" (sic) server. The negatives, some unimportant ***-hat not paying you due respect, and the sole hurt party is your ego. Does it really affect you in any other way except **** you off because of not getting some respect back from one person?

P.S: Knowing Angel_Mapper's position on this subject and her anti-theft script, I would like to know your personal reasons for being averse to people modifying your maps too. No flaming plz.