There are some interesting statements in the terms of service on Orbsydia. Some I do not believe to be enforcable, as they conflict with other items. But they may be telling about motive:
Quote:
14. ORBSYDIA (ORB) and all ORBSYDIA (ORB) Core Team Admins/Founders/Core Team Developers/Core Team Programmers reserve the right to make or change all or any projects we release herein as open and/or closed source, or both with respective licences. Both spoken or unspoken.
No issue here, but some it depends on a license one is choosen. For instance, if one uses GPL, and then later changes it (one can do that), it doesn't affect the ones that have all ready been released as GPL (stated in the license).
Quote:
15. All Projects and Tools are Copyright both by our Core Team Members respective developers, volunteers. If tools/projects are release for free it does NOT warrent that the main application files are public domain. Example using files can NOT be used in or to create 3rd party tools, with out express permission from ORBSYDIA (ORB) & Team. Also all copyrights/credits must remain intact.
This I think was aimed at me, and the fact MapGenerater 1 used UOL data. But I believe this states, that distrubtion can't happen. Not sure.
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17. All Training Materials for our Appications/Projects and or related Services much remain on ORBSYDIA (ORB) networks, unless granted express permissions by our ORBSYDIA (ORB) Team. aka no Building 3rd Party sites to support our tools or projects with out permission.
This is interesting, for it doesn't restrict to Orbsydia training. So this says, you cant write your own trainign, and post where you want. I believe this to in disagreement with other basic laws here in the States at least. I can write my own "how-to" book, and put it anywhere I want. So as written, it is very broad, and not restrictive to just material Orb produces.
Quote:
18. No project or tool my be released on or to 3rd party sites with out Express permission from ORBSYDIA (ORB). And may not be used with or in 3rd party tools or programs with out express permission from both ORBSYDIA (ORB) and core dev programmers/developers coded said project/application. This also includes making tools that support our file formats with out express permission from ORBSYDIA (ORB).
Ok, this I find interesting. HellRazor, are you reading this one?
1. One can put their tools on other sites. Ok, agree within license (again, say they release on GPL, then I can, the license says I could). But the second part, states on can't make it interopeatble by reading their formats without their permission. I KNOW that in the USA, for interoperatbliy, one can reverse engineer. So I dont believe this will stand a court case in the US, but who knows. But if one wanted to abide by it, the user should understand, ORB decdes the interoperability of other tools with them! If I was a user, I would think about supporting tools that wanted to impose that, but again, that is just me.
Quote:
19. All files sumitted to ORBSYDIA (ORB) become the property of Orbsydia Inc. We reserve the right to use media files and materials to market, promote and or use as needed on this site with out bias to promote this site and applications or products, services, and communty member project as we see fit.
Does it become the excluisve properlty, and does the orignal owner lose all rights to it? For instance, if one submits something, does Orb now control (given the other terms) if others can read or use that data? Or is this just stating they now have the right, but the original owners right and control for others are still perserved.
As a user, I would be concern. These , appear to express the desire at least, to control formats and who can read them, as well as dictating what can work with what they generate, should be considered very seriously as something one really wants to support.
At a minimum, I would offer, they should be clarified.