Character Sprites
Sup, needed to know who made the file 'character sprites' in the Add-on files section....didnt know where to put this, and cant pm him without knowing who he is, so....yeah, i would be GREAT to know cause i need to ask him some questions.
gamingstaff, on Sep 11 2004, 10:01 PM, said:
Sup, needed to know who made the file 'character sprites' in the Add-on files section....didnt know where to put this, and cant pm him without knowing who he is, so....yeah, i would be GREAT to know cause i need to ask him some questions.
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I'm pretty sure he isn't a member of these forums. If it doesn't give contact info in the ReadMe, then I don't know what to tell yah.
If you cannot verify the scource of the graphics (which is the case here) then you might be infringeing on a copyright unknowingly. Some of these addons have been there for a long time and the person who put them there is no longer around.
My advice to anyone submitting anything to the addons page is to include a readme which tells who did the work and what form of credit should be given.
Well he said they were for free, so, no copyright infrigment here :mellow:. well, i figured out how to make sprites from scratch (just made my first one yesterday, check the file ive uploaded) but that takes a long time, and i dont see how he couldve made all of those 400 characters in his lifetime, unless thats his job or something, so i figured he mightve used a program, like poser. :blink:
(EDIT) by gaming staff:
hmmmm, wheres the image i attached!?! There we go, but....great, now its blown up and all the pixels are messed up....oh well, you get the basic idea: Click for image, thats blown up so it looks all messed up....sigh
This post has been edited by gamingstaff : 12 September 2004 - 03:21 PM
gamingstaff, on Sep 12 2004, 03:12 PM, said:
Well he said they were for free, so, no copyright infrigment here View Post
I could go and rip the graphics from Halo(or pick whatever program that floats your boat), package them without any mention of the original author and/or copyright, and drop in a readme that says they could be used for free.
But it wouldn't be legal for you to use them.
A word to the wise if you intend to make something for distribution: If you are going to use an external source, fact check it thoroughly. If you can't ascertain for certain where the source comes from, then the safest route is to not use it.
blah blah blah blah blah...
to clarify for those who don't knkow, these are hand me down FREE graphics.
these files have been around since late 2000 and were originally posted at www.idevgames.com, there was no license agreement included with the art, ever. It was listed as public domain. These graphics have been in several games, keep your eyes open you'll start to spot them more often. Most notably 'Dragon Alpha' , 'Escape' and 'Radical Rebound'... the graphics are free, they originated from idevgames.com, use at will.
yeah, read this directly from the add on files: - CharacterSprites - 527 kb
A huge collection of 'Zelda' style character and NPC sprites. Included are ten bitmap files, each with around forty characters on. Thats around 400 characters!
no copyright mentioned, you think that he would forget to put something as important as a copyright? it doesnt take much time...see, watch: copyright, and even EASIER: Š......
whew, sry, hade to take a breath after all that typing.
This is really stupid, theres not a copyright if you think about it for 1 second.
According to the latest law, you no longer have to write "copyright" or "Š". Everything is now automatically copyrighted.
To make sure, though, many people not only type it, but register a copyright. There are, then, degrees of just how legally safe an original work is.
For your own safety, it's best to not take anything that isn't yours unless you have the permission of the person who made it. What's unfortunate about your sprites is that there is no disclaimer at all! Neither is there an email address of anyone for you to make contact, which is why Tarn now requires that information.
I really do understand your frustration. I'm very sorry, as they would have been very helpful to you.
gamingstaff, on Sep 16 2004, 09:27 AM, said:
no copyright mentioned, you think that he would forget to put something as important as a copyright? it doesnt take much time...see, watch: copyright, and even EASIER: Š......
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Would the person that made the graphics forget to mention a copyright? Doubtful.
Would a less than honest person that ripped the graphics and reposted them "forget" to mention a copyright? Highly likely.
When it comes to copyright law, many judges are not sympathetic to, "I didn't know" as an excuse. Their answer? "You should have found out before you used it."
You are free to do as you choose. But choices have results, and bad choices many times have consequences.
Actually, it is very unlikely you will ever be taken to court. If someone claims you are using their graphics, they will 99.99% of the time write you a letter telling you to stop ("Cease and Desist") as it's a lot cheaper and a lot less hassle than a court case. If you fail to comply, THEN you may be taken to court. So as long as you understand you may have to remove them if someone does claim a copyright, you should be alright using them...
:: Certainly wishes he had a copy of the original license which was printed on the character sprites's assets download page...
::
All work is copyrighted upon creation, submitting a copy to the library of congress only avails you to more options in the event of suspected copyright infringement...again this is US law.
again the art in queestion is free for use, i can't prove it i don't intend to. The probability that your game will enjoy a minor success and no litigation will be filed against you despite all teh stories of teh boogeyman and ghost stories you've heard around the campfire tonight...very unlikely.
the art is not ripped.
the art is original.
the art was done for the sake of art.
the art has been used in the THREE WIDELY KNOWN SUCCESSFUL SHAREWARE titles i mentioned without any reprocussions, i happen to know two of the developers...in this specific case the art is free to be used
Dragon Alpha
Escape
Radical Rebound
Again, hoot and holler all you want about their usage of the graphics not proving a single thing and that they may still be in question...fact is i was there, they are free, use at will.
This is a rare and fortuitous occasion, even if you make your own characters you run the risk of copyright infringement...oh no 
lol unless you ripoff a well known character i doubt you'll ever even see a cease and desist lettter...don't bother, i'm right.
This post has been edited by ellrx : 16 September 2004 - 10:36 PM
