GF Stealers

[CSN NewsBot]

No, I'm not talking about Tony who steals your girlfriend every other week. As we reported earlier, Games-Fusion has begun charging for access to its super-duper model packs. As suspected by some comment posers, modelers were never asked for permission.



Games Fusion maintains they are not selling models themselves, "but instead selling the Gold Membership pass," says Games Fusions' EZ, "which gives people 24h Email support and access to direct downloads which costs Games Fusion money in bandwidth costs."



I don't know where they get off... Correction, yes I do! (adults only, please) But seriously, I don't know who to side with. By default I would side with the model authors, but certainly bandwidth isn't cheap. Bandwidth, however, doesn't prevent you from asking for permission.[break="click to read Jemimus' full statement"]

Games-Fusion is asking money for downloading their two cs-model packs. I am not sure if this is legal or not, it certainly doesnt sound legal cause the modelers, skinner and such that made those models never gave permission, and are popping mad. But worse than that, they have completely left out any form of credits. This is the worse sin, as in the freeware community,it is generally accepted that you give credits for using other peoples works. I find it incredible that Games-Fusion has made this error. The CS modeling community is pissed off, and have set up a petition, and are mailing Games Fusion some strongly worded mails. Some are even threatening legal procedures. I am supporting their efforts by mailing this mail, and by bringing attention to the issue on my site, and I hereby request that you do the same. This model-ripping behavior is unacceptable, and we need to send a strong message to Games Fusion, and anyone else that uses other peoples works without giving proper credit. Here are some relevant links to discussion threads, and the petition.



The Games-Fusion site:

http://www.games-fusion.net



Current discussion threads concerning the issue, many of the modelers here as well:

http://forums.zeroping.com/showthread.p...threadid=9222

http://forums.zeroping.com/showthread.p...threadid=9106

http://forums.zeroping.com/showthread.p...threadid=9126



The petition:

http://www.gopetition.com/region/237/1245.html

Petitions will one day own this site.

[Dirk]

lol. That is funny shit. Nice message box Rizzuh. :)



-dp-

[garry]

Edited by [user="26703"] @ [time="1026499237"]

surely the modelers had something in the read-me like 'freely distributable as long as the supplier does not charge' blah blah



its pretty standard



BTW ---



the most expensive (over monthly limit) bandwidth costs I've seen are 5p per mb.. and if you're paying that you're being penetrated. That's a pound for 20mb.



the file size is something like 40mb.. that's 40*5p=200. that's 2 pounds.



there are 1.4 dollars in a pound.. 2/*1.4 = 2.8. Therefore the pack should cost $2.8, not $3.99. If you pay 3.99 you're being ripped off.



for $3.99 you could have downloaded 47.88 mb. I think that extra 7.88mb goes straight into their pockets.



Therefore they ARE profiting from this pack, therefore, it is ILLIGAL

[MartinO]

What about FilePlanet.com and their "Private Server" stuff, isn't it the same ?

[Lethal]

One word:



Freeware



This means they can distribute their software or in this case, models, freely, unfortnatly the line isn't quite black or white, its just a million shades of grey... As long as they 'claim' its for the 'service' of downloading and 24/7 e-mail tech support (wow... what a prize) its legal.

[yougotbeef]

did u know that GamesFusion uses sprites that are in the pack from Tragic Sprites. And the people from Tragic Sprites say they were never contacted about it and are reallyt pissed!!!!

[SHRIMP-FRIED-RICE]

ANYTHING i have on my computer is either freeware or shareware where it will always give me a message at the beggining asking me to register. Im so cheap. :)

[Jonesin']

Yeah, remind sme of those "Free Porno" sites that you have to pay for up front that I keep getting Emails about. Ummm...yeah...Emails.

[SHRIMP-FRIED-RICE]

none of them are acctually "free". nothing is "free"

[Colonel Kaos]

If Games-Fusion were letting people d/l skins for free, even if the authors didn't allow them to, it's legal. Because their skins were posted else where on the internet and thus that takes some rights from the author. Since GF is profiting from selling the works of authors who didn't give consent, the authors can bring legal action against GF. Unless GF is based in a country where there are no international internet laws. Damn legal stuff hurts my brain.

[-Dice]

When did GF sell out to the RIAA?

[Colonel Kaos]

RIAA[question mark]

[rizzuh]

Colonel Kaos wrote..

Because their skins were posted else where on the internet and thus that takes some rights from the author.

Well you know nothing about copyright law. Thanks for weighing in, though.

[-Dice]

Recording Industry Association of America (read: assholess)



My most recent complaint is the fact that they imposed royalties on internet radio. This I might have been able to understand, but what really pisses me off is that this retroactive, and it dates back to all broadcasts since 1998. The people that run the internet radio stations have something along the lines of two or three weeks to cough up the money, which in some cases is hundreds of thousands of dollars, for something they didn't charge for to begin with.



I find this situation to be quite similar to Game conFusion, although I can't draw up any similarities right now because I've been eating PixiStix with my friends.

[§kope]

garrynewman wrote..

surely the modelers had something in the read-me like 'freely distributable as long as the supplier does not charge' blah blah



its pretty standard

I've checked. Most of the readme files state, "YOU MAY NOT INCLUDE THIS IN MODS WITHOUT OUR EXPLICIT PERMISSION!"