When someone steals your assets on the Workshop

[Avanya 2,605]

In case you missed it we recently had a few people post a bunch of assets to the workshop, which weren't theirs and claiming them as their own. All comments saying they're stolen or mentioning the original creator got deleted as well. It got me thinking that some creators prob don't know what kind of rights they have or how to handle it, when someone steals their assets like that, so I made a little guide. I'll share it here for those of you who haven't figured it out yet and so we can get it out there.  

One thing is sharing our work or carrying on something abandoned, but those intentionally claiming things as their own and not giving the original creator credit just isn't okay in my book. And it's actually not allowed either.  

Guide: Content creator rights and how to enforce them

[Lost Gecko 481]

As usual some quality content from you! I've noticed you're pretty active in the comment section of such stolen assets, and that's something we should all be doing to make it a better place... I wouldn't be surprised that many people don't even realise they are doing anything wrong. This will sound like a "modding masterrace" thing but maybe some very "casual" players (why not pretty young) who don't have much knowledge of the whole asset creation process just wanted to change a couple of props of a cool building they found and figured they could share their nice creation without looking any further. That being said there's no doubt many people are just dishonest. The C:S Workshop can look pretty messy but it's nothing compared to the Banished Workshop, where most items are just stolen mods, it's crazy 

Thanks again for this guide!

[R3V0 909]

Someone just asked me to allow him for reupload of my asset, under the very same asset he wants to reup.

People are weird.

 

 

[Ocram's Razr 964]

Here is an excerpt from Cities: Skylines own EULA:

"4. User Generated Content
 
Some of Paradox´s Games allows you to create and make available to other users your own created content (“User Generated Content” or “UGC”). You hereby grant Paradox and its affiliates the nonexclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable, perpetual right to use, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, distribute, transmit, broadcast, and otherwise communicate, publicly display and publicly perform your UGC, and derivative works of your UGC, in connection with the operation and promotion of the Game.
 
Paradox is under no obligation to use, distribute or continue to distribute UGC, and you understand that Paradox may restrict, or remove, your UGC for any reason.
 
You represent and warrant that the UGC, and your grant of rights in such UGC, does not violate any applicable contract, law or regulation, and that the UGC is your original work of and does not infringe any third party´s intellectual property rights or any other rights."

 

BTW, I allow anyone to remix my content.

[Darf 1,439]

8 hours ago, OcramsRzr said:

Here is an excerpt from Cities: Skylines own EULA:

"4. User Generated Content
 
Some of Paradox´s Games allows you to create and make available to other users your own created content (“User Generated Content” or “UGC”). You hereby grant Paradox and its affiliates the nonexclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable, perpetual right to use, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, distribute, transmit, broadcast, and otherwise communicate, publicly display and publicly perform your UGC, and derivative works of your UGC, in connection with the operation and promotion of the Game.
 
Paradox is under no obligation to use, distribute or continue to distribute UGC, and you understand that Paradox may restrict, or remove, your UGC for any reason.
 
You represent and warrant that the UGC, and your grant of rights in such UGC, does not violate any applicable contract, law or regulation, and that the UGC is your original work of and does not infringe any third party´s intellectual property rights or any other rights."

 

BTW, I allow anyone to remix my content.

That's in relation to Paradox. However, when they want to redistribute custom content, they still do ask permission. Other users are excluded from this excerpt. 

[Avanya 2,605]

12 hours ago, Lost_Gecko said:

As usual some quality content from you! I've noticed you're pretty active in the comment section of such stolen assets, and that's something we should all be doing to make it a better place... I wouldn't be surprised that many people don't even realise they are doing anything wrong. This will sound like a "modding masterrace" thing but maybe some very "casual" players (why not pretty young) who don't have much knowledge of the whole asset creation process just wanted to change a couple of props of a cool building they found and figured they could share their nice creation without looking any further. That being said there's no doubt many people are just dishonest. The C:S Workshop can look pretty messy but it's nothing compared to the Banished Workshop, where most items are just stolen mods, it's crazy 

Thanks again for this guide!

That's part of the reason I post on those assets. Ofc there are some who just don't know what's the proper way to do things and haven't bothered looking into it. I've encountered some who have then added the original creator's name in the description and I've left those alone. It's up to the creator if they're okay with that or not.

Personally I'm not a fan of those slightly changed assets, but I'd much prefer it if we can talk it out instead of putting in a report like this. I'm however 100% fine with people having local versions of my assets edited to their liking.  It's partly to avoid too much bloat on the workshop, partly because I'd like to keep some control over my creations. Like Kliekie has said they're out little babies.  And I have a certain standard all my assets have to live up to, which I can't really control if there's 5 versions on the workshop by 5 different people. But that's just me.

@OcramsRzr That's very similar to Valve's. We give them rights to do pretty much whatever they'd like with our creations.

[AmiPolizeiFunk 446]

Thanks for this.

[Bad Peanut 826]

On 21/03/2017 at 10:54 AM, OcramsRzr said:

Here is an excerpt from Cities: Skylines own EULA:

"4. User Generated Content
 
Some of Paradox´s Games allows you to create and make available to other users your own created content (“User Generated Content” or “UGC”). You hereby grant Paradox and its affiliates the nonexclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable, perpetual right to use, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, distribute, transmit, broadcast, and otherwise communicate, publicly display and publicly perform your UGC, and derivative works of your UGC, in connection with the operation and promotion of the Game.
 
Paradox is under no obligation to use, distribute or continue to distribute UGC, and you understand that Paradox may restrict, or remove, your UGC for any reason.
 
You represent and warrant that the UGC, and your grant of rights in such UGC, does not violate any applicable contract, law or regulation, and that the UGC is your original work of and does not infringe any third party´s intellectual property rights or any other rights."

 

BTW, I allow anyone to remix my content.

another thing to note is that Paradox is also subject to Steam User rights, so no clause in any of their EULA's can negate Steam's Service Agreements.

[Lost Gecko 481]

Somewhat related to this, I just thought that maybe it would be nice to have a small, simple guide on courteous behaviour about using someone else's work and uploading it to the Workshop. It would be intended as a reference to be posted under the many "wild reuploads" with no credit given... Of course it wouldn't be of much use for people who really steal assets but it would help raise awareness among those who aren't familiar at all with the system . It could also mention that just changing a couple of props or stats of custom and vanilla assets and uploading them isn't the best of ideas...

Of course the goal isn't to sound like some kind of self-righteous Workshop Police but if it can be done in an "educative" manner... Maybe it could be a thing...? I'm just thinking out loud here, please tell if it's stupid

[Avanya 2,605]

I see your point and agree it's always better to try and educate people since some for sure don't know what's the right way to do it. Atm I don't really have the time to put something like that together, so if anyone is up for it, then go for it!  Ofc it can only be some generalised guidelines, since different creators have different oppinions on the matter.

[bullettMAGNETT 1]

Thanks for posting Great info, I've had this happen to me several times already and

What i I've usually done is (almost the same :D)

Kindly post a comment to the guy asking him nicely to remove the file

Report the item and ask a couple of friends to do the same.

It takes a couple of days but they usually get removed or removed by valve.