This question is inspired by a couple of recent posts involving long-ago plugs. The plugs are available here at EV Add-ons, but are no longer supported: the designers have vanished into "EV retirement" and cannot be located. The person writing the posts would like to use graphic elements from the plugs in a project of his own.

What do you folks think? If you make a good faith effort to contact the authors of a plug, and cannot locate them or elicit a response from them, and so reasonably assume that they are beyond caring about the plug...is it ethical to use portions of the plug in your own work (assuming proper accreditation, of course)? Or not?

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PlanetPhil
i'm only one man

Quote

Originally posted by PlanetPhil:
**This question is inspired by a couple of recent posts involving long-ago plugs. The plugs are available here at EV Add-ons, but are no longer supported: the designers have vanished into "EV retirement" and cannot be located. The person writing the posts would like to use graphic elements from the plugs in a project of his own.

What do you folks think? If you make a good faith effort to contact the authors of a plug, and cannot locate them or elicit a response from them, and so reasonably assume that they are beyond caring about the plug...is it ethical to use portions of the plug in your own work (assuming proper accreditation, of course)? Or not?

**

I'm not really sure, I would recommend using a people search if you can to find them. If you can't find them, it is really up to you. Each person has his or her own ethical standards by which they run their life. Personally, I probably wouldn't, but I'm not in your shoes now am I?

Good luck
rebels4ever

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The ultimate Pokémon master!
- Corey

That's pretty decent of you though. Some people would just take the art without making any effort whatsoever to contact the owner(s) of said plugins. Oh, I missed this part!

(assuming proper accreditation, of course)?

If by that you mean give credit for their artwork in your plug, such as:

<plugin name>
By PlanetPhil
Artwork by <whoever>

that would be much better. That sounds pretty good; indeed, the artist might be pleased to have their artwork be deemed good enough for use in your work.

But you probably ought to wait for some more opinions first.

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The ultimate Pokémon master!
- Corey

Whether it is ethical is entirely opinion. The legality is probably the biggest issue. You could use their artwork. But if it was copyrighted and they found out about it and didn't like it you would be in trouble.

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Signed,
Brian Schack
"DOS Computers, manufactured by millions of companies, are by far the most popular, with about 70 million machines in use worldwide. Macintosh fans, on the other hand, may note that cockroaches are far more numerous than humans, and that numbers alone do not denote a higher life form."
--The New York Times, November 26, 1991 (also quoted in MacAddict 4)

I'm a doofus...this time, I'm a doofus for not having posted this question in the EV/O Developer's Board, as I had intended. I'm glad that coreyblue64 and Ellmist had the chance to weigh in with their ideas, and would welcome any response from the EV Board crowd. But the Dev Board is where this question belongs, really.

If any moderator passes by, please transfer this topic to the Dev Board. Thanks!

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PlanetPhil
i'm only one man

If this gets moved to the Dev board, I will definitely go see what responses it receives over there. A web board is great for questions like these.

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better dead than confed!

Okay, I'll move it to the development board.

Phil, how many time'sdo I have to tell you that you are not a doofus???

Anyway, guys, keep in mind that the art may have been used from EV/O artists' websites without the plug-maker giving the artists' credit in the plug. Therefore, you may be using artwork without giving proper credit, and unless you see the art elsewhere by chance, you cannot know it. Something to think about.
Jude

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