š¢ EA user agreement about UGC
Added 2024-11-12 14:37:05 +0000 UTCWhen I write "terms of use" it's not to make it pretty. Maybe you don't know, but not complying with those terms violates the EA user agreement.
"You also grant to all other users who can access and use your UGC on an EA Service the right to use, copy, modify, display, perform, create derivative works from, and otherwise communicate and distribute your UGC on or through the relevant EA Service without further notice, attribution or compensation to you."
Discord isn't an EA service, Telegram isn't an EA service, etc...
So, distributing my work outside the relevant EA Service, in our case The Sims 4, is not even allowed by EA itself.
"When you access or use an EA Service, you agree that you will not:
Publish, post, upload or distribute UGC or content that is illegal or that you don't have permission to freely distribute."
Comments
Thank you for your comment. Iāll respond point by point for clarity, as there seems to be quite a bit of confusion and misinformation. First of all, many of my CCs are created entirely from scratch. When I do use licensed resources, I do so legally and within the terms of those licences. That does not give anyone else the right to extract, share or redistribute those files. Whether itās original work or based on licensed material, my content is protected by copyright and cannot be reused or republished without permission. You mentioned that CC wouldnāt have value without The Sims 4. Of course, Iām creating content for The Sims 4, and Iāve never claimed otherwise. But creating for a specific platform doesnāt make someoneās work less valuable or less original. This applies across many creative fields, from mods and fan art to plugins and custom content. You also asked why I donāt move to another platform if I want to make money. The answer is simple: Iāve loved The Sims since I was 8 years old. Itās a huge part of my life, and I always dreamed of creating my own content for it. I donāt see why I should invest my time and energy into something Iām less passionate about just to meet someone elseās expectations. I create for The Sims because it brings me joy, and Iām grateful I can share that with people who appreciate it. I also sell original assets outside the Sims 4 community, through platforms like CGTrader, where I offer 3D models. So yes, Iām familiar with various licensing systems and digital marketplaces. But The Sims remains my creative space, and Patreon simply gives people the option to support my work if they choose to. No one is ever forced to pay, and everything becomes free over time. Regarding copyright, I own the rights to all the original 3D models, textures, UV maps and designs I create. Thatās how copyright works. Your interpretation of international copyright law is incorrect. Finally, Iād appreciate it if we could keep the discussion respectful. Youāre free to disagree, but assumptions about my intentions or vague legal threats donāt help anyone. Iām creating with care, Iām transparent about what I do, and I follow the rules. Thanks again.
Sims4Luxury
2025-04-10 17:08:14 +0000 UTCIndeed you are using your own assets and resources to create that specific mod BUT in order for that mod to have any value you are using EA content and its product ! Therefore you are going against EA policy ! Try and sell your mods without Sims4 and see how many will subscribe I DOUBT THAT WILL BE ANY (regarding sims4 mod community) If you wish to make money there are so many other platform, why not going there?! Hmmm probably because sims4 community is a saturated water to fish in !? I have never paid for mods and will never do it ! PS: I am also creating mods (not for sims) and I don't expect to be paid !As about the law of copy rights I would say that under Berne Convention ensure that signatory countries recognize the copyright of works from other signatory countries! Another example of French entitlement thinking that he cant be touch and his law is above ...International courthouse exist for a reason !
Sphynx Ego
2025-04-10 14:31:08 +0000 UTCThank you so much Donna for your kind words about creators works š„ŗš„°ā¤ļø Iām really sorry to hear about your divorce and I hope you are feeling ok? I also wish you to be in a more confortable financial situation as soon as possible!!!! š¤š¤š¤ Iām sending you a lot of love coming your way and my best wishes ā¤ļøā¤ļøš Same to anyone who is in a hard situation. Our entire world is actually struggling and it scares me for our future. I really hope everything is going for the better to anyone of us š Also if you like, I publicly gave my email address (sims4luxury@gmail.com) if someone want to request a single custom content to download for free which is still in early access after a month. And I recently publicly shared for free 42 CCs on a public Patreon post. I really wasnāt talking about anything related to money, paid content or whatever but solely focused on the distribution without permission. Wish you the best again Donna š¤ And thank you from the bottom of my heart for the way you respect creators and artists ššā¤ļøā¤ļøšš
Sims4Luxury
2024-12-09 12:09:33 +0000 UTCJust saw this. And my two cents, humble opinion is: I personally have no problem with paid content for my game. In my opinion, it makes the game more enjoyable. You creators take the time and effort to make these beautiful things, that most of us would never be able to do. I agree with EA's terms, but if a creator chooses to paywall their stuff, I'm simply not going to lose sleep over it. There's SO much cc out there to choose from, it's ridiculous to fight over it .. especially with all the things going on in this world. This game - and content - takes you away for a little bit each day, and I'm thankful for the creators out there who make gorgeous things for our sims. Your creations are hands-down, top-tier, beautiful. Dust Bunny, Ruby Red, KHD, Novvvas, and a few others .. who can top that!? If I have some extra $ I'll buy, if I don't I'll wait. Some can't afford extra, I get that too - in my own case my finances took a dump after divorce. But I'm climbing back up the hill lol Soon I'll be able to purchase the cc I like, until then I scoop up the free offerings, and I wish the creators all the best :) Just my opinion! Won't be the most popular, but that's cool. (p.s. a lot of players pc's/laptops can't even handle the high poly counts! My pc will, thankfully, but I still have to watch out. There's so many creators who use lower poly counts that have bunches of free stuff. I stay focused on those, if I'm low on funds. )
Donna L
2024-12-09 08:56:05 +0000 UTCI think you get me wrong Nicole and I feel a lot of hostility in the way you are talking to me. First, the copyright owner of an original creative work can sue anyone who distribute it without permission. We, The Sims 4 players, are not allowed by EA to distribute someone else UGC outside the relevant EA services without permission. You know why? Because sometimes an UGC contains copyrighted materials not own by EA. So, if the creator clearly stated to not reupload and someone do it, it can be a copyright infringement and a violation of the EA User agreement. Thatās all Iām trying to explain here. Everyone is free to choose to support or not. Iām not mad because someone doesnāt want to support me on Patreon. Thanks to all the people who support my work through early access, public releases, on my socials, etcā¦ I can continue to create new CCs and Iām grateful everyday for that š I wrote this post for a multiple of reasons and none of them are related to early access, money or whatever. But here is one exemple: sometimes to create a CC, Iām buying licences to materials such as patterns. And sometimes the licence Iām buying has a limit number of copies allowed or allow certain uses, but not others, etcā¦ Which means that if I can not keep control of the number of copies being distributed, because people choose to violate my TOU, EA user agreement and copyright laws because they think Iām a perma paywaller, Iām friend with Cowbuild and RubyRed (which isnāt even true), that EA owns every part of an UGC, or whatever, then the creator I bought a licence will also have their rights being violated, not only mine. Today I wanted to buy an extended licence to a new illustrator on Etsy I love allowing 1000 copies of a pattern. The unlimited licence is $150 for a single pattern (which I canāt afford, itās easy to understand) compared to $18 for <1000. I did not because I know a small portion of our community think they have all rights towards a CC.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-28 00:57:39 +0000 UTCWell you cannot sue Sims Rebels or anyone else who distributes your content for free. Because you CHOOSE to take EAs TOs as you want, not our fault. EA specifies that you cannot keep content behind paywalls forever, not even for a year. Your friend KateSimblr, RubyRed and Cowbuild think they have these rights. But don't get mad that others are giving your content away for free. I am respectful of the ones who follow EAs TOS on cc. So I will subscribe to the early access creators who release their content after about a month. And always will. However, the ones who want to keep it perma paywall, or not release things for a year, nope I will always get it where I can. And I don't use Sims Rebels much, there are much other places giving pawall creators content for free than them.
Nicole Adams
2024-11-28 00:05:41 +0000 UTCWhat does the EA TOU said at the section 6? I copy/paste an exemple in the post. But it also starts by Ā«Ā obey the lawĀ Ā». Itās obvious laws comes first an EA TOU, but they still wrote it. Copyright laws protect an original creative work and an UGC as soon as itās created. When your original creative work is embodied in a .package file to be used in The Sims 4, then only EA and the creator can distribute it outside an EA service. EA never allowed their users the distribution of an UGC they didnāt create without the permission of the creator outside their services. EA and the original creator can, nobody else. Itās written in the EA TOU.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-21 23:38:57 +0000 UTCAs soon as it gets into a .package, it sadly becomes EA TOU people need to follow.
Odette
2024-11-21 23:36:10 +0000 UTCThank you so much Santasha for this comment ššā¤š
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-17 13:12:57 +0000 UTCI stand correctedā¦ i did not find a 6$ pillow that mustāve been a different creator
Santasha Curtis
2024-11-16 19:58:58 +0000 UTCI think TSR is wording what I mean in a simpler manner than myself š You can read at their section Ā«Ā ownershipĀ Ā»: Ā«Ā All assets belong to EA under their terms of use. HOWEVER, all meshes, texturing and other work added to the package belong to those who created it, not EA. You can share and copy a package file, but NOT the meshes and textures within it.Ā Ā» at https://help.thesimsresource.com/article/66-paywalls-eula-ownership
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-15 23:29:41 +0000 UTCNot always. Any original creative work created (let say a 3D model and or a texture for example), the original creator choose to embody in an EA UGC, is exclusively an intellectual property of the creator and is protected by copyright laws as soon as itās created. Sometimes, the original creator of a material is the CC creator you download a .package file from. So, those copyrighted materials are not own by EA nor by their users but exclusively by the original creator. You canāt create an original 3D model with an EA game or service for exemple. So, what you are saying is sometimes true, sometimes not.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-15 23:09:48 +0000 UTCI agree.
Odette
2024-11-15 22:49:57 +0000 UTCAll CC is EA property, you couldnt make anything without EAs package or game.
Odette
2024-11-15 22:49:32 +0000 UTC@ CLSXNerdLady Iām coming back to you just so youāll know that Iām grateful you are part of the people who are respecting not only my work, but also others peopleās work š Thank you for that! And thanks to anyone in our community who are respecting too. This post is towards those who violates others people rights by not following both EA users agreement and copyright laws, and it became a way to inform in comments about creatorās rights on original creative work they own copyrights - wich include the exclusive distributions right. Im friendly suggesting to anyone to read about copyrights laws. Thereās links I provided earlier for those who donāt know where to look at. You wonāt find anything about it in anything EA wrote, as they do not make laws. I really donāt want to argue either, or to be mean or whatever. I just know my rights and we, as creators, have the power to protect them. I have so many others arguments in hands for those who are really willing to try to educate themselves, proved by laws and lawyers I pay advices services for 2 years now. They are not my personal opinions. Iām wishing you, @CLSXNerdLady, the very best š¤
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-14 10:23:42 +0000 UTCI fully support your creative rights as well. Thank you so much ššā¤ļø
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-14 03:15:07 +0000 UTCIt was very important that you raise this issue. As a content creator, you can be assured that I fully support you. ā¤
pacosims
2024-11-14 02:56:50 +0000 UTCAnother exemple: Why can we read Ā«Ā licence: all rights reservedĀ Ā» on a CurseForge page I uploaded a CC lately at: https://www.curseforge.com/sims4/build-buy/christmas-2023-lake-ice-surface āā if I werenāt the copyright owner? Why did CurseForge accepted my licence, when they are in collaboration with EA, if it were EA who owns the rights?
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-14 01:00:16 +0000 UTCWhat is also not true is at least (Iām going to bed) what you wrote about copyrights. Iām going to copy paste an earlier comment I already made: Ā«Ā Ā« When is my work protected? Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. Ā» at https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html. āā- they say registration are for lawsuits. In France itās similar if not exactly the same. For lawsuits, registration is preferably too. It says Ā« Le droit d'auteur s'acquiert sans formalitĆ©s, du fait mĆŖme de la crĆ©ation de l'Åuvre. Votre crĆ©ation est donc protĆ©gĆ©e Ć partir du jour oĆ¹ vous l'avez rĆ©alisĆ©e et ce, quels qu'en soient la forme d'expression. Ā» at INPI, which is our organization about intellectual property we can read at https://www.inpi.fr/comprendre-la-propriete-intellectuelle/les-autres-modes-de-protection/le-droit-dauteur#:~:text=Le%20droit%20d'auteur%20s,Åuvre%20est%20communiquĆ©e%20au%20public)Ā Ā» āāāā this website has a button to make it appeared in English. I do not need any paperwork. I also can take a picture as an inspiration to create a 3D model. Iām still going to own intellectual properties on the 3D model.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-14 00:46:56 +0000 UTCReally itās not true. You can extract everything a creator originally created without anything related to EA, even when itās include in a .package file. Files uploaded on a .package file works on so many other things EA does not own any rights on it. It works on windows, it works on IPad, etcā¦ How do we upload our work to begin with? With the sims 4? Do you create a new mesh from scratch on The Sims 4?
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-14 00:39:19 +0000 UTCIām sorry @ CLSXNerdLady, Iām actually being tired to repeat myself for 24 hours now but Iām going to try to do what I can to make it clearer before going to bed: Patreon is not an EA service. EA never wrote anything about where the original creator of an UGC has the right to distribute its original creative work. They wrote about distribution rights all other users have on someone else UGC and they clearly stated Ā«Ā the right to ā¦ distributeā¦ on or through the relevant EA serviceĀ Ā». EA gave right to distribute an UGC on or through the relevant EA service to anyone using their service without the intellectual propertyās owner permission. Not outside of it for other users, but the creator can freely distribute wherever they want. Why do the creator can and not all other users? Because all other users canāt. They do not own distribution rights. Itās legally speaking a non-transferable right of the creator: the distribution. When I own exclusive distribution rights outside an EA service on work I created from scratch, without absolutely nothing related to someone or something else in it, such as a mesh or a texture, no one else than myself have distributionās right on those meshes or textures outside an EA service. The original form of an original creative work I own copyrights absolutely never have anything related to EA. What is related to EA is anything on a .package file I didnāt created from scratch. Itās not because I accepted that my intellectual property can be distributed on or through an EA service that I gave permission to all other users to distribute it outside of it. As I said earlier, feel free to distribute my .package files without my original creations included on them.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-14 00:28:31 +0000 UTCLook, I'm not here to argue but is Patreon an EA service? No, it's not. You just can't decide to that Option A is okay, but decide that Option B doesn't count because [whatever your reason; it literally does not matter]. That's the law in the United States. EA -- and ONLY EA -- has the right to define the terms of their agreement. Not me. Not you. EA -- that's it. And if the terms weren't spelled out clearly enough, then you shouldn't accept the agreement and cease following ANY of it. At the time of acceptance, it's your responsibility to read EVERYTHING. You're agreeing to abide by what's contained therein. And the fact that EA even made the concession to allow early access is a rarity. Go read the EULA for Sims3, or Sims2 or the original Sims. And I have been here, in this community, since TS was released. NONE of the preceding games would have offered or agreed to that. But if and when EA has a problem with Rebels or any of the other sites out there providing the same service, EA gets to decide that. Their EULA, their call. You can try to find ways around it, but that's how it is. Again: I am not trying to be nasty or mean. I think you're a very talented creator and I love a lot of your stuff (I used to subscribe to you but I quit about every subscription because I'm bad at NOT getting everything and my hard drive can't take it). I wait until your early access period ends and I grab your stuff on CurseForge (even though I absolutely despise the interface). I do the free subscription with you and many, many (too) many more creators to keep an eye on what's going to be available. I respect the work, the effort, the skill and the talent and I won't take advantage of that. But for every creator like you who respects the early access and then releases the content for free, there are three who have perma-paywalls. I get where you're coming from, though. As for copyrights, unless you specifically do not use any inspo and you file the correct paperwork, then yes -- it's copyrighted. You can't copyright something that your relied upon someone else's copyrighted material to create if it looks at all similar. HOWEVER... the community's cc and mods can ONLY be used in TS4, and they hold the copyrights to all of the tech within the game --especially the stuff that makes it all work, so unless they specifically say, "We'll gladly give up OUR rights to that tech," or that they'll share them with you... you're in a really gray area.
CLSXNerdLady
2024-11-13 23:46:27 +0000 UTCAs you say šš I think I'm going to keep this post pinned for a while for those who are willing to have hours to read. Yes, I saw that and it was interesting and, even If I'm tired, enjoyable for me. I like talking about laws with someone who likes it too š¤ ------ What I think about EA is that it's already extremely clear on their user agreement so, I personally do not see what they can do more, firstly, and secondly, we can't wait for them to advocate for rights they do not even own themself even if I would love too š It's already registered since the end of 2021. I have everything in my hands for cease and desist. I'm looking for a mutual, pacifist and respectful agreement first. As soon as someone in our community is going to have everything needed for lawsuits, it is going to send the right message to people who violate rights and I do hope this day is coming soon, because it is going to make our lives, on both sides, players, creators and both, so much easier š So, at least this post is going to be read by those who are willing to and could be used by any other artists. ------- Don't you receive a notification by email when I'm publishing a "News+ FREE downloads" post? Because it's been a while now I'm doing so, for those who want an easier and quicker way to be notified about new publicly released CCs. Maybe we have to become a free member for that, I don't know. I even post them on my Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest if needed, just less frequently. I have now a dashboard especially for public releases to be sure they are linked at least on a free Patreon post the faster I can (usually a couple of days after the public release). I understand your point of you and I'm sorry to be part of some of your frustration. Wish you the very best Sam and feel free to reach out to me anytime š¤ The Comments section is open on my public post and I'm on Instagram.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-13 20:13:11 +0000 UTCGirl that was a lot š and you should 100% pin all that or add it to your bio so people understand that! I myself am a typical type A person who āØlovesāØ law and rules and regulations (because without we would live in chaos and no thanks) so Iām looking at those public release dates and pinning them in my āsims calendarā for things I really like. It does 100% make it super hard for those of us that genuinely respect the TOU that are set, and thatās why itās so frustrating. And yes this conversation got lengthy and went over a variety of topics, but itās good conversation and needs to be had in the community! Especially for anyone whoās thinking about creating things themselves, like myself! EA needs to be more definitive and less gray in that user agreement, and post something hard set regarding early access and regarding creator rights. And yes you have instant rights, but thatās what Iām saying about the Creative Commons copyright! Get it registered and NOW you have the fuel to back the fire if you will. With it you have a more solid foundation to stand on for cease and desist orders, etc. to people who are taking advantage of you.
SamIAm
2024-11-13 19:39:18 +0000 UTCI searched for links because I like to read about laws š In the US itās Ā«Ā When is my work protected? Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.Ā Ā» at https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html. āā- they say registration are for lawsuits. In France itās similar if not exactly the same. For lawsuits, registration is preferably too. It says Ā«Ā Le droit d'auteur s'acquiert sans formalitĆ©s, du fait mĆŖme de la crĆ©ation de l'Åuvre. Votre crĆ©ation est donc protĆ©gĆ©e Ć partir du jour oĆ¹ vous l'avez rĆ©alisĆ©e et ce, quels qu'en soient la forme d'expression.Ā Ā» at INPI, which is our organization about intellectual property we can read at https://www.inpi.fr/comprendre-la-propriete-intellectuelle/les-autres-modes-de-protection/le-droit-dauteur#:~:text=Le%20droit%20d'auteur%20s,Åuvre%20est%20communiquĆ©e%20au%20public)
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-13 18:31:22 +0000 UTCOh also Sam, what I learned a few years ago, is that ā- I thought like you that we have to register copyrights and explicitly write our terms, etcā¦ ā- but now those rights are immediately given to the creator of an original creative work, I mean, as soon as the creation exist. Letās say I create an original model on Shapr3D, boum! I immediately owns copyright on it. Iām creating a texture on Substance? Boum, copyright. So actually the rule is something like Ā«Ā as soon as you do not receive the explicit permission from the original creator, you do not own distributions rightsĀ Ā» for exemple. If you need or want, I can search for links.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-13 17:45:32 +0000 UTCA year ago and before, my work were shared under the creative common license. You can look at my very first uploads on CurseForge. Did it change something? No. My CCs were unlocked on my Patreon in less than 20 days. Did it change anything? No. I have plenty of examples of creators with less than 20 days of early access being illegally distributed in less than an hour just for yesterday. Does their legal rights are being respected? No. So what is the point to focus on early access? It never changed anything. Am I actually advised by intellectual properties advocates? Yes, itās been 2 years now Iām paying for this services. Do I legally own the exclusive distribution rights outside of an EA game or services for original creative work I created from scratch Im uploading on a .package file compatible with The Sims 4? Yes. Feel free to share .packages files I create anywhere you want without my original creations included. Im willing to do the best I actually can to shorten my early access period as I used to do before for years, as soon as my rights are being respected. As I said, why should I work harder and riskier for my health to publicly released my CCs in less than 3 weeks when, even when I do, they are already free in less than 2 hours because they are illegally distributed? Legal rules in our context are for both sides: creators and all other users. Is it possible to try to understand a creator side? I know the reality of a player side, I am also one since Iām 8 years old. Iām sorry this situation is making respecting people waiting months now to download my work. I always provided free download links in private to those I trust, even before Patrons sometimes. If a file has been distributed before I uploaded it on Patreon, then itās easy for me to know who I can trust or not. Iām happy to do it almost every single week. I just canāt trust anyone of the internet just like that. Now that Patreon gave us access to a Ā«Ā giftĀ a month of membershipĀ Ā» service, I did it already last weekend and Iām planning to do it again. Who did the same already? Iām used to refund people when they say they are in a difficult financial situation even if itās no legal to ask for a refund to a digital file. I do it by myself. We are on The Sims community, not an Etsy shop so Iām happy to do it. This is to give you some exemples of what Iām doing to compensate my longer than average early access period while still protecting my rights. Iām really not someone who does not think about the playerās side and to those you canāt afford a membership. Iāve been part of the poorest people in France for a decade due to my disability. I know what The Sims represent to a large portion of us. But, as creators and artists, we also have to take care of our work and ourselves. How many creators are burning out because of players? How many are daily harassed and so on? The community canāt impose their personal desires to an artist and punish the artist, violate legal rights, etcā¦ as soon as they think itās arbitrary well deserved. At the end of the day, the period of an early access or not would never give rights to someone who does not own the intellectual properties. It never has been the subject of what I wrote about to begin with. This post is exclusively about creators distributions rights (outside of an ā¦.) because it makes me sad to see so many talented artists all over the world too scared to voice up their rights.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-13 17:31:27 +0000 UTCI completely agree with you about copyright. I would look into Creative commons so you have legitimate legal backing for it. Thatās about the only thing you as a creator have. Again the first section of the agreement outside of ea services applies. You do have rights if you have something drawn up and copyright your work and register it that states cannot be distributed outside of yada yada etc. so you can properly go through and do things in the legal manner. But again, you could only copyright the creative work and not anything that EA itself can lay claim to. I would honestly speak to a lawyer regarding that aspect and maybe reach out to EA Legal for clarification on what you can do. While I have knowledge from my law enforcement experience and a law focused family, and understand a lot, I havenāt been to Harvard Law and this is more civil focused š¤£š¤£ What my original point and post is that regardless of people being disrespectful and doing what they do, you have people like myself who enjoy your content and wait months for things to be released here and they donāt unless we pay you. Like thereās some tile from May that still hasnāt been released publicly thatās on here, 6 months ago! I think thatās why a lot of those websites pop up, and for those creators such as LeoSims who hide everything behind a paywall and have for years. Which is completely unrealistic as far as reasonable time goes. I just think as creators, thereās almost a higher standard that regardless of what other people, the right thing and rules should be followed. If people can donate and emphasis on donations, to the time you put in then fantastic. But in reality not everyone can do so, for example that would require people to put out hundreds if not more a month to subscribe to all the different creators. Living isnāt cheap, and for many playing this is an escape/decompression. Really the biggest thing EA puts out is make it free and available for everyone. I think those rip off sites would start to die out if creators collectively agreed to do the right and fair thing, on their sites where they publish content. Users should as well, but as the saying goes lead by example. Iāll try to respond if I can if you reply, but Iām about to operate heavy machinery for a while so it may be a bit! āŗļø
SamIAm
2024-11-13 16:32:16 +0000 UTCWe can read about copyrights Ā«Ā Copyrights: Copyrights protect original creative works, such as books, music, and software. They give the copyright owner exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and display the work.Ā Ā» at https://ironcladapp.com/journal/contract-management/intellectual-property/ ā- and to a ton of places talking about copyrights. So, by creating an original creative works (for exemple a mesh or a texture) I own the exclusive rights on the distribution of my original creative works at first. But as I made my original creations compatible to a use in an EA game or service, what I actually give EA, itās licensors and licensees about distributionās rights, itās on or through an EA game or services, which are defined in the beginning of the EA user agreement I quoted earlier. On the same website, at Ā«Ā How to Protect Intellectual PropertyĀ Ā» it says Ā«Ā Enforce your rights: If you identify infringement of your intellectual property, itās important to take action to enforce your rights. This may involve sending cease and desist letters, filing lawsuits, or taking other legal action. Enforcement is an important part of protecting your assets and sending a message that you will not tolerate infringement.Ā Ā» so, before Iām taking legal actions, Iām writing a post everyone can read because I thought people didnāt know CC creators has exclusive distribution rights outside an EA game or services. But right now Iām wondering if itās not Ā«Ā people know they are committing a copyright infringementĀ Ā» instead.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-13 14:28:53 +0000 UTCNo problem Sam, I have to go back to work soon too. Actually I know where the Ā«Ā 3 weeksĀ Ā» appeared, who wrote it, and when, etcā¦ It was before the official EA policy on mods we can read at: https://help.ea.com/cn/help/the-sims/the-sims-4/the-sims-4-mods-policy/ āāāā I also know the guruās words canāt be used as EA has a policy about it now, which has legal values contrary to something a guru wrote on a forum years before the official EA policy on mods. I wish you a good day at work š¤
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-13 14:00:54 +0000 UTCIām now at work so give me some time to get that, but itās posted in the EA Forums by one of their people after the mods alerted them to a thread going over this.
SamIAm
2024-11-13 13:30:15 +0000 UTCWhere your Ā«Ā 3 weeksĀ Ā» appears? Do you have a link? Because as you said earlier by quoting EA, the policy on mods states Ā«Ā a reasonable amount of timeĀ Ā». They do not explicitly define 3 weeks in their policy. Something wrote by a guru on a forum does not equals a EA policy. Of course, it is right that my early access period exceed 3 weeks now. Because even if I applied the arbitrary rules of 3 weeks or less, directly provide free downloads in attached file here on my Patreon and burned out from it for years, my rights about distribution were not respected either. This is an excuse people use. So now I do the very best I can without burning out to provide monthly contents to both Patrons and free users. I promote both equally on all my platforms. I would love to unlock faster, but first I do not have any legal obligations to do it within 3 weeks, secondly I donāt want to burn out again for people who does not respect creators rights. Why should I burn out again when my original creations are illegally shared in less than 2 hours? Itās already free to everyone, why should I unlock it myself? I do not get the logic behind that. .packages files im sharing without my original creations such as meshes and textures would result in an empty CCs. Iām not using anything related to EA to create my originals meshes and textures. This is where my rights and other creators applies: on the original creations such as a mesh or textures for exemple. We own the right of distribution to anything containing our original creation. Not EA, not users. And at the end, the distribution is still allowed by EA itself to EA or all other users (it does not include the creator, because the creator own the intellectual properties, which include distribution) on or through an EA game or services. I agreed for my original creations to be distributed on or through an EA game or service.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-13 13:27:26 +0000 UTCTo a Santasha Curtis previously you wrote why do you think I do not have early access? Early access means items are available to patrons for the first three weeks (as per EA) and then it is all released for free to the public. You have items from months and months back posted here on Patreon that are not listed on your website, curseforge, etc. that literally require people to pay for it. Which is the most basic and loudest part of what EA has stated regarding the Agreement. NO ONE is allowed to charge for ANY UGC, after 3 weeks. After that time frame, you have to make every single thing available or youāre in direct violation. On or throughout a relevant EA service means something that EA owns themselves or is subsidiaryās. And thatās the second part of that section. The top part that I wrote and youāre quoting is saying youāre allowed to do so on other platforms as well. As for the intellectual property aspect, yes you have very few as far as the design itself. Like an artist creates a painting. But with this, youāre taking your design and utilizing it with EA programs. You simply own the picture, thatās all. Itās why youāre legally required to have everything for free, because youāre using EAās base and services. As far as your defense, EA does not have a relevant or official site where to post CC/mods. EA clearly states they have nothing to do with CC/mods in that regard. So TS4Rebels, Cursgeforge, modthesims, Patreon, your website, TSR, etc. are technically all outside of EAās relevant services. And as a creator, whether the community violates it or not, you should still have the ethical and moral integrity yourself to abide by the legal contract.
SamIAm
2024-11-13 13:21:55 +0000 UTCI repeat, I do not choose. Itās explicitly defined at the very beginning of the link I provided in my post when you click on Ā«Ā EA user agreementĀ Ā». Here the link again: https://tos.ea.com/legalapp/WEBTERMS/US/en/PC āā it is written at the very beginning Ā«Ā This Agreement governs your access and use of products, content and services offered by EA and its subsidiaries ("EA"), such as game software and related updates, upgrades and features, and all online and mobile services, platforms, websites, and live events hosted by or associated with EA (collectively "EA Services")Ā Ā» so, how can, for exemple, TS4Rebels be considered as Ā«Ā the relevant EA serviceĀ Ā»?
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-13 12:48:54 +0000 UTCI do not chose, itās simply evident and easy to understand just with one exemple: Is TS4Rebels an EA game or service?
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-13 12:11:53 +0000 UTCAs you wrote yourself Ā«Ā To useā¦ within our game and servicesĀ Ā». So of course users can use a CC in The Sims 4. But what is the point of your comment? Do you think Ā«Ā use within our game and servicesĀ Ā» means users has the right to distribute a creatorās original creation outside the relevant EA service without permission?
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 23:02:09 +0000 UTCYou allow EA and our players to use anything you upload or create (UGC) for free within our games and services. You are responsible for your UGC, it must be your own content or content you're allowed to use. Mods must be non-commercial and distributed free-of-charge. Mods canāt be sold, licensed, or rented for a fee, nor can Mods contain features that would support monetary transactions of any type. We recognize that creating Mods takes time and resources. To offset these development costs, Mod developers may: *offer an early access incentive for a reasonable amount of time. After a reasonable early access period, all players must be able to access the Mods in full for free regardless of whether they donate. *run passive advertisements and requests for donations so long as they are limited to the Mod website or distribution site, and donāt appear within the Mod itself.
SamIAm
2024-11-12 22:37:22 +0000 UTCI have so many artists in mind, you included ā¤ā¤ā¤
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 17:47:12 +0000 UTCI know, but it is well said nevertheless! <3 Since some people (well a lot) donĀ“t respect other peoples work this needs to be aired :)
Panda
2024-11-12 17:43:35 +0000 UTCThank you so much Panda ššā¤ā¤ I'm not even the one being straight to the point, it's EA, since the beginning š Sending you a lot of love ā¤ā¤šš
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 17:11:47 +0000 UTCLoving this post! Straight to the point <3 You know you have my full support on this topic (and everything else, lol) <3
Panda
2024-11-12 17:01:43 +0000 UTCOh Santasha š That is so nice of you but it wasn't my intention to convince anyone to become a Patron. I published this post for those who don't know that it is against EA policy to distribute other's people work without permission. I'm sending you a private message because I have something private to tell you šš¤
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 16:53:30 +0000 UTCI will just suck it up and buy the early accessā¦.ššššššš
Santasha Curtis
2024-11-12 16:45:33 +0000 UTCYes ok, I would like to see that because I'm really surprised š±
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 16:40:17 +0000 UTCYes, no problem š¤ I'm trying to understand your point of view with the best intentions. This post is also made to open the conversation about it. It's just that for now I don't see anything that is true, I do early access, and there's no pillow at $6 š Everything is automatically copyrighted as soon as it's an original creation. Which is often the case. Some CCs are even made with digital files you are allowed to use only with a commercial licence, for example, patterns I use to create wallpapers. With S4Studio, we can extract the pattern. So anyone distributing it is committing a copyright infringement to another artist who even isn't a CC creator.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 16:39:21 +0000 UTCLol ā¦ i swear i saw it like that ā¦ once i find it i will show you
Santasha Curtis
2024-11-12 16:37:29 +0000 UTCI agree with youā¦. But you do have to consider the other side of itā¦ā¦. but are you guys able to do anything about it like copyright your content? Just curious
Santasha Curtis
2024-11-12 16:30:38 +0000 UTCHow can it be $6 for a pillow? š To unlock a full month of early access CCs it's $3,99 ($1,99 for wallpapers and floors) and the first time you join, you'll unlock around +70 CCs for that price.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 16:29:03 +0000 UTCI see other CC creators' CCs with +/- 20 days of early access being illegally distributed in less than an hour. So, it is obviously not a question of early access or not. And even if it were, the creator still owns exclusive rights to their original creations and distribution is still in violation of EA user agreement, even after the early access period. I find nothing that is taking that away.
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 16:25:25 +0000 UTCSometimes I want some of your items and itās like 6$ for a pillowā¦šā¦. Not mad just expressing because I still support you and love you content
Santasha Curtis
2024-11-12 16:16:39 +0000 UTCYou have a point
Santasha Curtis
2024-11-12 16:15:15 +0000 UTCAt least it's honest
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 16:07:59 +0000 UTC@Sims4Luxury i donāt know
Santasha Curtis
2024-11-12 16:01:37 +0000 UTCWhy do you think I do not have early access?
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 15:59:08 +0000 UTCI think the only person who would be mad about it is creators who keep their cc locked foreverā¦. The best cc creators have an early access period.. not foreverā¦ i understand but you should take that into consideration
Santasha Curtis
2024-11-12 15:53:38 +0000 UTCLol, read it again. It does not talk about the creator of the UGC
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 14:56:27 +0000 UTCPatreon isnt an EA service either š
JDog
2024-11-12 14:55:25 +0000 UTCš¤
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 14:51:37 +0000 UTCwelcome
melanie roger
2024-11-12 14:50:46 +0000 UTCThank you Melanie šā¤ļøšš
Sims4Luxury
2024-11-12 14:49:37 +0000 UTCi totally agree
melanie roger
2024-11-12 14:47:34 +0000 UTC
