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Legal question for mods about encrypting files


PetuniaEpoch

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Just a question is all.
 
Epoch mod is released, I'm told, under the 
 
'Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International' Creative Commons license.
 
As such, distributing edits is NOT allowed, but editing IS allowed - Someone correct me if I'm wrong with that, but that's how I read it.
 
The license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) also states: 
 

No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.


Technological measures is then further defined here:

 

https://wiki.creativecommons.org/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited

A key part being this:
 

In the cases above, encryption or an access limitation does not violate the prohibition on technological measures because the recipient is not prevented from exercising all rights granted by the license (including rights of further redistribution).


My question then, is if the above license grants the right to edit so long as those edits are NOT distributed, does this encryption not prevent people from exercising that right (see 'all rights' in the quote above).

Just a little confused. I mean I understand the need to keep EPOCH clean, especially as it's in early stages, but when it was mentioned people would be able to make their own mods for EPOCH, just not mess with EPOCH's core, I (and I think also others) didn't imaging this would extend to locking the PBOs so that any extra mods cannot be added (without requiring clients to download and add a launch parameter extra).

I had no intention of messing with the EPOCH files, but did want to add things to the PBO (so an execvm would be the extent of my edits to EPOCH core).

What I find sad about this, is that EPOCH got popular for one reason - people modding it. In fact, a few of the modifications done by the community were not at first that much welcomed by EPOCH devs (indestructible bases - I remember a whole on-going argument about that, with vbAWOL saying over and again he wouldn't implement it, despite the vast majority of people on the forum wanting it!)

So the community made tweaks to put in the functionality people wanted - some were indeed liked by devs and welcomed - and thus EPOCH grew. With things like the bases argument - if the situation back then was as it is now, with no ability to make add-on mods, a whole chunk of EPOCH's core functionality would be missing!

Now all the folks who've dutifully waited for server files to be released, holding off on making any mods and refrained from using the hacked scripts from 'the forum that won't be named' have been locked out of making pretty much any tweaks - not only to core files, but also by including any extra functionality without requiring extra add-ons.

This is sad because although I understand your request NOT to mess with the epoch core files, what you've done by blocking the ability to edit the pbos, is stifle a hell of a lot of creativity that the EPOCH community has. A creativity that helped EPOCH get to where it is in the first place. Shame.

Anyway </rant> - Back to the license question, as it appears that the encryption is preventing people for carrying out their legal rights (to edit, under the terms of the creative commons license, without distributing).

I may of course be wrong - open to others take on these rules. Please do read the links above carefully though :)

<start the flaming>

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What encryption are you talking about?  I've seen that the SQF's are obfuscated to hell but I haven't seen any encryption.  If you're talking about the SQM in the mission file, you need to get pbodll to "derapify" the SQM.

 

I have heard they are checking hash's on the PBO's and preventing them from being edited that way tough I'm not sure it is considered encryption.

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Hash checking the pbos was indeed what I was talking about - maybe not 'encryption' as such, but is certainly a 'technological measure' designed to limit usage (within the criteria of creative commons, which does allow editing, so long as not distributed) of a product released under Creative Commons I'd have thought?

 

What encryption are you talking about?  I've seen that the SQF's are obfuscated to hell but I haven't seen any encryption.  If you're talking about the SQM in the mission file, you need to get pbodll to "derapify" the SQM.

 

I have heard they are checking hash's on the PBO's and preventing them from being edited that way tough I'm not sure it is considered encryption.

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People with no understanding or limited understanding speculate legal stuff with people who also have limited or no understanding of legal stuff. I hope you realize that there are loopholes and that this is more or less a hobby project. Hence the greyzone when it comes to how legal things are dealt with. If it was actually cared about then it would have been enforced a long time ago. 

 

Bohemia has said that they disapprove of it but they have not made anything of it since. And I doubt that you or they will start any legal action towards this. That is why this whole discussion will never lead anywhere.

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If you read further into the license you will see that it is to prevent others from placing these types of restrictions on our files.

https://wiki.creativecommons.org/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited

https://wiki.creativecommons.org/Frequently_Asked_Questions#Can_I_use_effective_technological_measures_.28such_as_DRM.29_when_I_share_CC-licensed_material.3F

 

It has only been one day since we released the server files. We will be opening things up more as we progress and possibly even change the license. Look at it this way we could have just kept the server files 100% private till 1.0. However, I made the choice to release now so we can get more feedback, testers and bugs fixed and to let the community in on testing. Once you do get your hands in our code it will be much more polished, stable and solid and documented. 

 

That said, most of the changes people want to make will be config options. For example increasing the antagonist spawn rates or disabling them will be added as a feature. Most everything else can be done as a separate server side mod or mission file changes.

 

If we do not control the current code base early on it will be much harder for us to fix bugs as they are found instead of server admins fixing it themselves and then not reporting the bugs to us.

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Thanks for the reply vbAWOL - I appreciate a calm, considered response - :)

Quick question on your reply - where you say:

Most everything else can be done as a separate server side mod or mission file changes
Does that mean editing the mission PBO is allowed? If so, which is/isn't allowed? - For example, how about:

* Editing description.ext to allow side chat (y or n?)

* Adding an init.sqf to allow for adding, say, a welcome message or simialr (y or n?)

^^ Answers to the above would really help to understand what the current state of play is.

Also, would be cool if it could just be posted - like CAN edit mission PBO or can't - just so we know rather than trying then finding out it's blocked.

So, is it just the server pbo that's portected through being hashed, or is the mission pbo too?

If you read further into the license you will see that it is to prevent others from placing these types of restrictions on our files.

https://wiki.creativecommons.org/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited

https://wiki.creativecommons.org/Frequently_Asked_Questions#Can_I_use_effective_technological_measures_.28such_as_DRM.29_when_I_share_CC-licensed_material.3F

 

It has only been one day since we released the server files. We will be opening things up more as we progress and possibly even change the license. Look at it this way we could have just kept the server files 100% private till 1.0. However, I made the choice to release now so we can get more feedback, testers and bugs fixed and to let the community in on testing. Once you do get your hands in our code it will be much more polished, stable and solid and documented. 

 

That said, most of the changes people want to make will be config options. For example increasing the antagonist spawn rates or disabling them will be added as a feature. Most everything else can be done as a separate server side mod or mission file changes.

 

If we do not control the current code base early on it will be much harder for us to fix bugs as they are found instead of server admins fixing it themselves and then not reporting the bugs to us.

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Thanks for the reply vbAWOL - I appreciate a calm, considered response - :)

Quick question on your reply - where you say:

 

Most everything else can be done as a separate server side mod or mission file changes
Does that mean editing the mission PBO is allowed? If so, which is/isn't allowed? - For example, how about:

* Editing description.ext to allow side chat (y or n?)

* Adding an init.sqf to allow for adding, say, a welcome message or simialr (y or n?)

^^ Answers to the above would really help to understand what the current state of play is.

Also, would be cool if it could just be posted - like CAN edit mission PBO or can't - just so we know rather than trying then finding out it's blocked.

So, is it just the server pbo that's portected through being hashed, or is the mission pbo too?

 

Yes you can edit the mission pbo and it is only the main server pbo that is protected.

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