How is this legal?

[TechnicalK3rbal]

The website referenced in (-link removed-) is a copy of spaceport, disregarding all of the Addons licenses, being redistributed without oermission.

Edited June 18, 2014 by KasperVld

[vexx32]

It sure as heck doesn't look very legal...Hmm. Hard to say exactly what can be done. Perhaps Kasper or Rows would know. I'll ask -- and thanks for bringing this to our attention.

[KasperVld]

It's not legal, and we've blocked all links to that website from the forums. For an official statement read http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/82588-A-Potential-Scraping-of-Spaceport

[TechnicalK3rbal]

So.... What's being done about this? The website is still up.

[cpast]

Does Squad have any legal basis to take action? Their first official mod was the World Cup mod, and that's public domain. They'd have to assert a copyright interest in mods made by people who are not them; while it might be able to stand up (you could argue at least *some* mods are derivative of KSP), I can't imagine the community would like it if Squad claims any sort of copyright over third-party mods.

Now, what *could* happen is that someone who released a mod under a no-distribution license could take action based on *their* copyright in *their* mod. But Squad can't act on behalf of a third-party modder.

[Duxwing]

Now, what *could* happen is that someone who released a mod under a no-distribution license could take action based on *their* copyright in *their* mod. But Squad can't act on behalf of a third-party modder.

"action" is too vague to be argued about. I agree that SQUAD probably could not sue the website for copyright infringement; whereas I disagree that SQUAD cannot protect its business by simply avoiding people harassing its customers.

-Duxwing

[cpast]

"action" is too vague to be argued about. I agree that SQUAD probably could not sue the website for copyright infringement; whereas I disagree that SQUAD cannot protect its business by simply avoiding people harassing its customers.

-Duxwing

"Avoid" in which way? They currently snip all references on the forum, which, short of some form of legal action, is the most they can do.

[Camacha]

Personally I would not mind knowing what the new website is, as a couple of mods have been taken down that are not available elsewhere any more.

[Duxwing]

"Avoid" in which way? They currently snip all references on the forum, which, short of some form of legal action, is the most they can do.

And that's what I'm talking about.

-Duxwing

[cpast]

And that's what I'm talking about.

-Duxwing

I was replying to TechnicalK3rbal's post immediately above mine, suggesting Squad could take down the scraping.

[KasperVld]

Personally I would not mind knowing what the new website is, as a couple of mods have been taken down that are not available elsewhere any more.

Personally I find even using the website objectionable, the why is quite a long story that I posted on Reddit earlier: http://www.reddit.com/r/KerbalSpaceProgram/comments/28fqy7/ksp_spaceport_and_mod_hosting/ciaquqy

[Bessy]

they should have advertised that they would host mods for the modders and the modders would have came to them its always good to have alt hosting places... but... going behind the modders back no matter how good they thought there intentions were its still wrong ... i think the moderators of the site that cant be named should ask all the people they have mods for if that can host them it may take some time but ... honour and respect should be upheld

id love to use the unsaid website but im choosing not to out of respect to the modders who have given me so much entertainment over the past year

[Duxwing]

I was replying to TechnicalK3rbal's post immediately above mine, suggesting Squad could take down the scraping.

And I'm agreeing with you.

-Duxwing

[Camacha]

Personally I find even using the website objectionable, the why is quite a long story that I posted on Reddit earlier: http://www.reddit.com/r/KerbalSpaceProgram/comments/28fqy7/ksp_spaceport_and_mod_hosting/ciaquqy

In the case of getting stuff that is not available anywhere else and which is free to distribute I disagree.

[Devo]

Personally I would not mind knowing what the new website is, as a couple of mods have been taken down that are not available elsewhere any more.

Yeah, but that has it's cons. I was wondering why all these people were coming out of the woodwork emailing me about mods that were years old and asking why this or that didn't work.

The spaceport rip off is exactly that. A rip off. Mod authors don't have access to their own content therefore this one guy is going to have to make sure he updates every single mod on there himself to beat the updates here.

Lol Good luck.

[Camacha]

I disagree, as I feel it is not the Spaceport copy's fault that people do not understand what they are dealing with. Old stuff never gets supported, that is how it has always been. Squad has been quite rigorous in their deletion of Spaceport and this is a not illogical reply. I am not saying it is right, but I do understand how this happens.

[xcorps]

I disagree, as I feel it is not the Spaceport copy's fault that people do not understand what they are dealing with. Old stuff never gets supported, that is how it has always been. Squad has been quite rigorous in their deletion of Spaceport and this is a not illogical reply. I am not saying it is right, but I do understand how this happens.

But it is the clones responsibility not to redistribute mods that do not give permission for redistribution, which is what all the fuss is about.

Any conversation about updating is superfluous.

In the case of getting stuff that is not available anywhere else and which is free to distribute I disagree.

Even if the author of that mod specifically forbids permission for redistribution?

[Camacha]

But it is the clones responsibility not to redistribute mods that do not give permission for redistribution, which is what all the fuss is about.

I think part of the fuss is about Squad shutting down Spaceport just like that, and continuing with Curse. Opening a copy of the Spaceport website is a reaction to that way of handling things.

Even if the author of that mod specifically forbids permission for redistribution?

Please read my comment again.

[cpast]

In the case of getting stuff that is not available anywhere else and which is free to distribute I disagree.

Right, but how many of those are there? If it's free to redistribute, it's free to redistribute, but the scrape doesn't even care about that - they just take everything. Mods which are free to redistribute tend not to be lost, because anyone can reupload them to any site. I might go so far as to suggest that "not available except with a complete scraping of Spaceport" and "free to redistribute" are almost mutually exclusive.