"Does X1 own the .exe type files? or the .ogg? or .jpeg, .mp3, .txt, .cfg and so on??
Then my whole computer belongs to X1.."
That right there is the main point.X1 nor Ubi own any of these filetypes.
Also what the modders do falls under the "Fair Use Act" of the copyright laws.Here permission is not needed to modify the work.
The mods made by the members here are for non-profit work the benefits the public.So they fall under the "Fair Use Act" of the copyright laws.
This is part from a book on copyright laws that I have..Its called "The Copyright Handbook" by Attorney Stephen Fishman.
Congress passed a law authorizing the use of copyrighted materials in certain circumstances deemed to be "fair" -- even if the copyright owner doesn't give permission.
Often, it's difficult to know whether a court will consider a proposed use to be fair. The fair use statute requires the courts to consider the following questions in deciding this issue: - Is it a competitive use? (In other words, if the use potentially affects the sales of the copied material.)
- How much material was taken compared to the entire work of which the material was a part?
- How was the material used? Is it a transformative use? (If the material was used to help create something new it is more likely to be considered a fair use that if it is merely copied verbatim into another work. Criticism, comment, news reporting, research, scholarship and non-profit uses are most likely to be judged fair uses. Uses motivated primarily by a desire for a commercial gain are less likely to be fair use).
As a general rule, if you are using a small portion of somebody else's work in a non-competitive way and the purpose for your use is to benefit the public, you're on pretty safe ground. On the other hand, if you take large portions of someone else's expression for your own purely commercial reasons, the rule usually won't apply.