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Topic: xbox live and PSN porting? & ownership (Read 1430 times)
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VilanceDAsari
Zebranky food
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Posts: 5
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I have been seeing a bunch of old game ports go over into the Xbox live and Playstation Network for download. I was curious who owns SC2/UM now and could port it into those networks. Ownership is an issue since people have to pay to DLoad the content on those networks.
Just struck me as a great idea to revitalize the IP and maybe encourage people for ask for another SC game.
V.
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onpon4
Enlightened
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Except for the name (Star Control, owned by Atari) and the 3DO movies (not sure who owns that), everything is owned by TFB, so to speak. The source code and content are covered by different licenses; the source code by the GNU General Public License, and the content (voices, sounds, images, etc) covered by a Creative Commons license ("Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 license").
The GNU GPL basically allows anyone to modify and redistribute the material any way you wish (including for profit), but only under the GNU GPL (the same version or a later version). You are not allowed to add any further restrictions to the use/redistribution of the product and you must also provide access to the source code.
I'm not familiar with the Creative Commons license, but from what I gather, it allows you to redistribute it only for non-commercial reasons. You must also credit the original authors.
So, it seems that, if you were to recreate the content to replace the original content, then as long as you place it under the GPL and allow access to the source code, you would be able to sell a port of UQM on Xbox Live or anything else.
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« Last Edit: July 21, 2010, 07:06:36 am by onpon4 »
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VilanceDAsari
Zebranky food
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Well given the terms of GNU, which I only vaguely understand (I program web-apps/DB stuff using non-GNU SDK's). I wasn't really sure. Thanks for the clarification.
So in essence is someone wanted to take the UQM source code and mod it for an app like a cell app or DL app on PSN/XboxLive they could do so and charge money with no legal concerns?
If yes, well then geez c'mon UQM team make some ports!
J/k I understand most of us need reliable paying gigs before we have time to code up stuff like this...then there is always the other conundrum...
Once you get free time do you code or do you game...
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Draxas
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No. Only the source code can be used in that way. The content (graphics, sounds, music, script, etc. etc. etc.) cannot be used in a commercial venture.
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onpon4
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However, if you were to create your own content (maybe you're a graphics designer and you know somebody who can handle sounds), it would be completely OK to sell UQM (with any necessary modifications) under the GPL with your custom content. The only problem is, recreating all that content would be a LOT of work, so it may take some time.
BTW, what exactly is "script"? Is that, like, the conversations in the game or something?
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Novus
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Fot or not?
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BTW, what exactly is "script"? Is that, like, the conversations in the game or something?
In the film-making sense, that would be the description of what the characters say and do. In UQM, the dialogue text and voice data are part of the content, but the structure of the conversations, positions of planets, collectable objects and suchlike are described in the source code, which is GPL. If you ditch all the CC by-nc-sa stuff, you could keep the structure of the plot and dialogue, but have to rewrite all the text, redraw all the art, create new sound and music and so on.
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VilanceDAsari
Zebranky food
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So if you tried to sell an android or iphone app port of this you would be selling the port software and not the game 
I mean not to get into a legal argument per say, it is just that the original game was intended for PC so does porting it to cell phones constitute ip infringement? Or debt to the owners of the original. This is assuming a port was renamed on the cover and the same under the hood, so to speak.
Seriously though good to know that if a port was possible to Xlive/PSN game networks it would require the official corp green light, otherwise it would not be a port at all just a recreation of SC2.
V.
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