Recent Piracy Posts

[GreyStone84]

Let me just start by saying I know this is a touchy subject. In no way do I condone pirating/stealing, etc.

So I've seen a couple of posts crop up about ramifications of pirating DLC and RPG Maker itself, the punishment of course being a justified ban. I would expect nothing less. I had an encounter here once when a former-member was asking for help and I was trying to offer some to them. They posted pics taken of a pirated/cracked (or whatever it's called) version and *POOF* they were gone.

Mods, being Mods, I'm sure most (if not all) are pretty familiar with different versions of RPG Maker and extra content, but what happens when someone gets banned? Is there some sort of appeal process? I'm not sure how the Mods could be wrong when banning a member, but I'm not sure on the process either. Like, do the Mods pass the info amongst themselves and deliberate? Do they pass the suspected wrong-doer over to someone high than themselves and that person or people decide?

One post was wondering if they could tell if a friend pirated some DLC and one member pointed out that the OP might be concerned because they may have been working in tandem on a project. If the friend did pirate content without OP's knowledge and OP then used it, technically he used pirated content and I guess he would be banned, but couldn't he appeal the ban? I would hope he could, I know I wouldn't want to be in OP's shoes in that case, but if I was I would hope I could have the chance of appealing the decision. Not even sure what kind of evidence someone would need in order to prove they didn't pirate! That being said, maybe some questions could be answered for all of us who use RPG Maker, it's DLC, and user created content in all their glory legally.

1) Is there some sort of appeal process?

2) Besides an electronic paper trail of purchasing the program, what kind of evidence can honest users obtain or keep track of if our purchases ever get called into question?

3) What about product keys? There is a giveaway for MV going on atm and the prize is a free copy through a Steam key. Never used one before, so is there some sort of evidence that the winner legally obtained that free copy?

4) Is there any other advice that can be given to help protect ourselves?

5) If I offered to partner with someone or if someone wanted to partner with me, how can I be sure that they do not have an illegal copy or content? Or how can I prove to them that I have a legal copy?

Those are all the questions I have off the top of my head (not to mention it's getting late now). Thanks in advance for any info that can be given!

 

[Shaz]

Moving this to Site Feedback

Sometimes the piracy is so blatant that we don't discuss it with other mods first.  We just ban.  We can discuss it afterwards if other mods want to, but usually there's no need.  Sometimes we're not so sure and we'll discuss it first.  Sometimes we'll ask for proof of purchase if we're not sure - if it can't be provided, and we have enough reason to believe it's a pirated version, the member is banned.

There is always the option to appeal.  In fact, the message we send to the member when we ban them tells them what they need to do if they think we've made an error, and how they can go about contacting the appropriate people to get the ban lifted.  We've only ever made a mistake once, that I can recall, and that's because the person, although they HAD recently bought a copy of the engine, was still using their old pirated version and that's what we saw.  That person followed up on the information we gave at the time of banning, and their ban was lifted.  The whole thing happened over the course of 2 or 3 days.

As far as content, knowingly using pirated content is ban-worthy.  You can't be blamed for the actions of another person if you don't know what they're doing is wrong.  This doesn't mean you should put your head in the sand and avoid asking - even though you may not be banned, if we find out the other person used pirated resources, your game wouldn't be allowed to be shared here, and it might also affect your reputation on the forum.

1) Yes.

2) Non-steam versions still require an activation key and we can check on that, on your email address and other purchase details.  Email trail is always the easiest way, so keep your details handy when you register.

3) I don't believe you can pirate through Steam.  If you have a Steam key, it's legit.  Plus, we'll remember who won it

4) Don't stress - if you're doing the right thing, it won't be a problem.

5) Ask them if they have a legit version.  Tell them you don't want to risk making a game that can't be shared here because someone has a pirated version or resources.  Leave it at that. There's no need to offer proof to each other of what you do/don't have.

I also offer this advice - don't team up with someone just because they ask you, or just because you're looking for a team mate and they're available.  Look at how many project threads there are where people all just jumped in together without really knowing each other or without checking each other's credentials (how long have they been a member, what is their experience, are they reliable, have they made any games, have they contributed to other projects, do they have the time, do they have the motivation), that have not gone very far, where everyone has gradually drifted away - get to know people before teaming up with them.  Make sure you feel comfortable working with them and confident in trusting them.

 

[GreyStone84]

Wow, thanks Shaz for going into that detail!

Most of that seems pretty common sense, but it's not really something you think about (at least I didn't) when you are doing things the legal way. I hope others get to see this, especially newbies, and are able to learn from it. I'm pretty sure I bought mine through Steam, but am definitely going to check out my email when I can to make sure I have a paper trail somewhere.

 

[Shaz]

If you bought yours on Steam, it should check for updates (or at least Steam updates) whenever you launch it.  And if you right-click on the icon and choose Properties, you'll see it's launched through Steam.