I believe this discussion has been up for some time now....
The fact that its copyrighted, is ok. But if X1 thinks that all the mods are made illegaly, they have just sold stolen goods. Thats a crime. Why not go to legal actions againt the freeware modders, if their work is such a big crime?
Who owns the colors on the ships in SHIII? Or the color of the water? Or the excellent models made in wings 3d or other programs? A color isnt a color until it colors something (Rene Descartes). Is the "Mona Lisa" made by Leonardo da Vinci, or is it made by the guy who made the canvas, or the guy who made the colors? Or maybe Mona Lisa's parents, since they made her.....?
I respect your point of view, Wulfmann, and kudos for keeping the discussion in a professional and matter-of-factly way. But i disagree with you, mate. I dont think any game company would loose money on a "open source" policy, they would rather gain public relations and economical benefits. And just to mention how the worlds copyright laws work, here is some quotes.... :
From Wikipeida:
"Copyright law covers only the particular form or manner in which ideas or information have been manifested, the "form of material expression".
It is not designed or intended to cover the actual idea, concepts, facts, styles, or techniques which may be embodied in or represented by the copyright work. Copyright law provides scope for satirical or
interpretive works which themselves may be copyrighted."
The Norwegian law of copyright, AKA "åndsverksloven", § 4:
"The original maker can not deny anyone to make new creations based on the original work. The copyright of the new and independent creations does
not depend on the copyright of the original work".
In Norwegian:
"§ 4. Opphavsmannen kan ikke sette seg imot at andre benytter hans åndsverk på en slik måte at nye og selvstendige verk oppstår. Opphavsretten til det nye og selvstendige verk er ikke avhengig av opphavsretten til det verk som er benyttet."
I hope this made it clearer.