Permissions

Monday, November 8, 2004 by computerdummy5 | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk

Just arrived to the house from work and checked my email to find a rejection letter from this site for my Longhorn Lake desktopx theme. It was rejected because i used a longhorn wallpaper-without permission! It is the lake wallpaper that is used in at least one other theme on this site by another skinner > I didn"t know we now need permission from microsoft > >
17 Reply 1 Referrals
Essencay
Reply #1 Monday, November 8, 2004 4:51 PM
Hiya cd5...you should email an admin if you have concerns https://www.wincustomize.com/index.asp?Cmd=about This messageboard may not be the best way to find the answers you seek.

computerdummy5
Reply #2 Monday, November 8, 2004 5:21 PM
Thanks for the reply Essencay-although I must say-the comments are now out here and I have no problem stateing them in a public forum. If the site would rather keep this private[I don"t know why-if there is a reason not to use the wallpaer-then state it!] they my email me.I really truely would like to here from someone!!!

Fuzzy Logic
Reply #3 Monday, November 8, 2004 5:32 PM

If you are concerned there is something in the library which requires permission please provide a link so it may be investigated. As for your original question, follow #1

 


WOM
Reply #4 Monday, November 8, 2004 5:34 PM
It Might help if they knew what theme was using the MS wall.



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computerdummy5
Reply #5 Monday, November 8, 2004 5:41 PM
WOM- the theme name is Longhorn Lake stated in my first post.Fuzzy Logic the name of the wall is LH_Lake and it is freely available on net.

MikeB314
Reply #6 Monday, November 8, 2004 5:45 PM
computerdummy5, WOM means the theme that is already here with that wallpaper in it.

computerdummy5
Reply #7 Monday, November 8, 2004 5:53 PM
Sorry "bout that WOM. The theme is called Cellular longhorn by gef.But before anyone thinks I"m trying to single out gef let me state that this is not the case. I have downloaded many,many themes from here with both longhorn and windowsxp default wallpapers included and also uploaded several with no problems. Please clarify this sites policy towards this and explain how some my and some may not upload these with their themes.

MikeB314
Reply #8 Monday, November 8, 2004 5:55 PM
I emailed you a few minutes ago with the clarification and explanation you seek.

computerdummy5
Reply #9 Monday, November 8, 2004 5:59 PM
Well MikeB314-I did recieve that email but I'm still not clear on the whole microsoft wallpaper issue-can they be used in a theme or not. Yes or no

gef
Reply #10 Monday, November 8, 2004 6:03 PM
MikeB314 - Now I'm not sure what the wall problem is? I thought Longhorn walls from Microsoft could be used. Could you email me so I cannot be confused.

MikeB314
Reply #11 Monday, November 8, 2004 6:11 PM

The official policy is that no graphics can be redistributed without permission from the author/copyright holder without written permission. However, some leniency has been shown towards distributing Microsoft's property, as you have noted.

I could go through and clean out the themes with MS wallpapers, but then I'd have to do something about the zillion WindowBlinds skins ported from MS. I'm just going to approve your theme. It's just not worth the hassle.

The short answer is, our policy is ambiguous when it comes to Microsoft.


computerdummy5
Reply #12 Monday, November 8, 2004 6:13 PM
Gef-I hope you don"t think I was picking on you-I too thought microsoft walls and such were fair game.My god this site was built on emulating windowsxp and aqua several years ago. Anyhow I respect you and your work and just want to know what is acceptable and what is not

MikeB314
Reply #13 Monday, November 8, 2004 6:14 PM
It's kind of funny, I was watching this show on PBS the other night where these families had moved into the woods and started a small colony to reenact the experiences of early American settlers. The governor of the colony tried to enforce the 17th century laws, but half of the settlers, with their 21st century attitudes, simply wouldn't comply. The governor eventually deemed some laws simply unenforceable.

computerdummy5
Reply #14 Monday, November 8, 2004 6:17 PM
MikeB-I appreciate your answer and in the future I will be sure to state very clearly that the wall is property of microsoft. Now do I need to resummit the theme or can it be done from your end

computerdummy5
Reply #15 Monday, November 8, 2004 6:20 PM
Mike I have the same problem with my 15 year old daughter

Jafo
Reply #16 Monday, November 8, 2004 6:24 PM

My god this site was built on emulating windowsxp and aqua several years ago

No, it was built on the demise of Skinz.org as a site for skins and skinning.

Walls in themselves have always been an adjunct only, and where it's noticed, copyrighted images of/in walls are not accepted.

Porting of Longhorn imagery to create skins is one thing, 'borrowing' the entire wall from Microsoft is another.

In an ideal world a skin or theme or suite would be distributed with the skinner's input of 'skins' and only include links to such things as walls that were not his own doing.

Some 'Longhorn' walls are not Microsoft's as such but were created [similarly styled] by wall artists whose permission for inclusion would be needed as well.

Ideally, without appropriate permissions it's advisable not to include the wall/skin/object/image.....


Phoon
Reply #17 Monday, November 8, 2004 9:21 PM
tried to enforce the 17th century laws


Does this mean that the next person that presents a Longhorn name skin to gain poplularity gets burned at the stake

- By this, I don't mean a good quality LH theme, those are welcome in my opinion. I mean the lousy ones that are popular just because they bear the name.

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