A Small Bit of Cantr Ethics

[T.L.H.E.]

This recent thread started by Racetyme brings up a few interesting questions (in my mind anyway.) Namely, how should published materials (anything that goes into a note) in Cantr be handled? That is to say... if you're making a compilation of textual maps from three different sources, do you credit the original creator? Moreover, do you get their permission first? In character or out? If you can't find the character, and you don't know the player, what then? And should anonymous maps be used at all, since it's basically impossible to get the creator's blessing?

It gets trickier when you get to pictorial maps, as you're no longer copying things that are mostly just copied straight from the game to begin with. Is it appropriate at all to combine maps? Is it more important to acquire permission with pictures than it is with text? Same questions apply about how to get permission and the accreditation.

I know how I stand on all of these, but I'd like to hear some other opinions first.

[Racetyme]

It should all be done in character. Also, getting a creators permission in character would be the next thing to impossible, because most of the people who create maps are travelling all the time or dead. That makes it a more than a little difficult to contact them. Whatever you want to do in character though, this is a society simulator, and copyright infringement could be a new, miniscule aspect of the game.

[ephiroll]

I'd say it's up to the character as to if they want to credit the original mapmaker. Many maps, for instance, don't even have an 'author' attributed to them, however, to find. Personally, I could care less if someone used info that my char gathered, because that's how a total body of information is put together. A piece here, a piece there, and then one day someone puts the whole thing together and takes credit for it. That's how it is.

As for written works, I consider them much different. Written works are normally things that the general char can't just pick up, or make a note of, by wondering around looking at the sights. Therefore, they fall under 'intellectual property' and I would expect the same consideration given to the authors of those works as would be given to a real book in the real world.

[nitefyre]

I think all maps, materials, works, etc, which are credited to somebody to be given attribution if a character decides to recopy it into one note. For example, all editions of the (Hobbes) Encyclopedia source the maps in the ALT function of HTML, which should make it so that a caption appears when you hover the mouse over the map (ideally the name should already be on the map, so this is my way around that), but if that doesn't work, one could always look through the editable HTML to find the creator's name, and that is always there. Even when Hobbes cites somebody, he writes their full name and title, then puts it in quotes.

[formerly known as hf]

it's a character's choice I guess

People palm off (plagiarise) other peoples work all the time in reality - why not in Cantr?

[ephiroll]

In real life they also get their butts sued off for it. It's possible to make more money off a copyright lawsuit then by selling a piece of work.

[Surly]

The 'suing' fad is very recent.

In times past, most would either not care... or just kill the offender.

So should Cantr be.

[Racetyme]

Exactly. If you, as a person, don't want your work plagiarised, then don't put it in cantr. It is begging to be stolen.

[ephiroll]

Or just make it so distinctive and toot your own horn so that everyone knows in game who it really belongs to in the first place. Even in a game, few would want to be labeled a pariah for ripping off someone's stuff and passing it as their own.

[The Industriallist]

Well, that last wouldn't happen if, say, you shipped stories between continents.

I seriously hope no one is proposing that RL copyright laws should have any standing of any kind in cantr? For obvious CR and legal reasons you shouldn't be putting in anything not your own creation, but if it gets ripped off within cantr no OOC response could possibly be warrented.

[Racetyme]

Exactly my point of view.

[Jos Elkink]

I seriously hope no one is proposing that RL copyright laws should have any standing of any kind in cantr? For obvious CR and legal reasons you shouldn't be putting in anything not your own creation, but if it gets ripped off within cantr no OOC response could possibly be warrented.

Exactly. What this thread is doing is discussing what should be a policy in the game, but in-game policies should be discussed in-game! ... If Quillanoi wants to adopt a law on plagiarism, that's fine, but there is no Cantr-wide rule in this context.

[formerly known as hf]

In terms of using (real-life) (C) material in-game - I'm sure there's a note somewhere to say that that's forbidden?

[El_Skwidd]

Not to mention lazy, underhanded, stupid, moronic...

*goes to find a thesaurus*

[Jos Elkink]

Yes, so don't immediately start applying copyright laws ... The point I'm making is that it should be an in-game thing, not an OOC thing. So it shouldn't even be mentioned or an issue until one char really gets upset about copying and start campaigning or something ...