PTVupgrade
12-23-2004, 08:09 PM
Several senior members of the DDB community have expressed concerns in recent weeks about the commercial use of projects hosted at this site. I was able to chat with a few of them, and we have come up with some common goals:
1. We all want developers to feel comfortable posting their work. Everybody loses out when somebody keeps their work private for political reasons. This is especially important when a contributor is making improvements to a work that is covered by a viral license, as they will be unable to protect their contributions under copyright law.
2. This site was founded because of a perception that the existing hacking sites censored controversial yet technically legitimate discussions. DDB users have come to expect that threads will not be locked or deleted for business reasons.
3. It is important that the community can easily differentiate between the lawless, ethically-challenged eBay vendors, and someone who considers himself to be a reputable businessman and who is trying to do the "right thing."
Therefore, I am adopting the following policies, in the hopes of maintaining a fruitful, win-win relationship with the DDB community:
1. Respect for contributors. I will honor the requests, legally binding or not, of DDB contributors with respect to their work. If you have specific redistribution terms it would be best if they could easily be found near the download links. If you have an issue or question about the way I am using your software, please contact me in private. If for any reason you feel that you are not getting satisfaction in private, feel free to discuss the matter privately with DDB management. DDB Moderators and Administrators will assist you in whatever way they can.
2. Free speech. I am requesting that discussions critical of sponsors remain uncensored, except in cases of outright slander or spam. I will fend for myself, and do not want editorial control to be exercised on my behalf any more so than it is for other members of the community.
3. Stopping unauthorized profiteering. I will continue to enforce my legal rights, such as my exclusive killhdinitrd redistribution license, to ensure that unauthorized eBay sellers are not distributing DDB members' work without permission or referring their angry victims to DDB for support. I am hopeful that 2005 will bring the long-awaited end of the rogue eBay sellers that have plagued this group for so long. In addition, I offer my services to any developer who would like to maintain a higher level of intellectual property protection then they may be able to afford themselves. Developers operating under assumed names or without the legal/financial resources to pursue unauthorized use of their product, can open discussion regarding a PTVupgrade exclusive redistribution agreement in exchange for our assistance in intellectual property enforcement.
4. Support. I will continue to refer my customers to my own forum (http://forum.ptvupgrade.com) for support requests, so as not to burden DDB with end-user questions about my products. I do not want to fragment the DDB community nor divert members' attention to my site, however I am willing to provide forum resources, server space, etc to ensure the primary interests of DDB are not undermined.
5. Future efforts. I continue to look for mutually beneficial ways to work with this community. I would urge developers to consider my monetary contributions, my current killhdinitrd license enforcement, and my explicit respect for developers' wishes, when deciding what conditions to attach to the software they release. I want to be seen as a positive force on DDB, not as a leech. With that in mind, I am always interested in discussing licensing opportunities, the contracting of programming services or other distribution arrangements should it be of interest. Most importantly, I look forward to working with the community on an ongoing basis and am hoping to contribute to its advancement.
6. Establishing good policies. I'd like this to be considered as a dialog, not as a statement or declaration. I am certainly open to discussing these points, openly and/or privately, in the interest of doing the right thing.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and special thanks to ADH, JJBliss, and rc3105 for spending the time and energy with me to help develop these goals and philosophies, especially in addition to the time spent developing tools, posting and moderating the board. Also, a big thanks to those who have provided insight, tools, and advice on these forums. It does not go unappreciated.
Thanks again, and Happy Holidays!
Lou Jacob
PTVupgrade
1. We all want developers to feel comfortable posting their work. Everybody loses out when somebody keeps their work private for political reasons. This is especially important when a contributor is making improvements to a work that is covered by a viral license, as they will be unable to protect their contributions under copyright law.
2. This site was founded because of a perception that the existing hacking sites censored controversial yet technically legitimate discussions. DDB users have come to expect that threads will not be locked or deleted for business reasons.
3. It is important that the community can easily differentiate between the lawless, ethically-challenged eBay vendors, and someone who considers himself to be a reputable businessman and who is trying to do the "right thing."
Therefore, I am adopting the following policies, in the hopes of maintaining a fruitful, win-win relationship with the DDB community:
1. Respect for contributors. I will honor the requests, legally binding or not, of DDB contributors with respect to their work. If you have specific redistribution terms it would be best if they could easily be found near the download links. If you have an issue or question about the way I am using your software, please contact me in private. If for any reason you feel that you are not getting satisfaction in private, feel free to discuss the matter privately with DDB management. DDB Moderators and Administrators will assist you in whatever way they can.
2. Free speech. I am requesting that discussions critical of sponsors remain uncensored, except in cases of outright slander or spam. I will fend for myself, and do not want editorial control to be exercised on my behalf any more so than it is for other members of the community.
3. Stopping unauthorized profiteering. I will continue to enforce my legal rights, such as my exclusive killhdinitrd redistribution license, to ensure that unauthorized eBay sellers are not distributing DDB members' work without permission or referring their angry victims to DDB for support. I am hopeful that 2005 will bring the long-awaited end of the rogue eBay sellers that have plagued this group for so long. In addition, I offer my services to any developer who would like to maintain a higher level of intellectual property protection then they may be able to afford themselves. Developers operating under assumed names or without the legal/financial resources to pursue unauthorized use of their product, can open discussion regarding a PTVupgrade exclusive redistribution agreement in exchange for our assistance in intellectual property enforcement.
4. Support. I will continue to refer my customers to my own forum (http://forum.ptvupgrade.com) for support requests, so as not to burden DDB with end-user questions about my products. I do not want to fragment the DDB community nor divert members' attention to my site, however I am willing to provide forum resources, server space, etc to ensure the primary interests of DDB are not undermined.
5. Future efforts. I continue to look for mutually beneficial ways to work with this community. I would urge developers to consider my monetary contributions, my current killhdinitrd license enforcement, and my explicit respect for developers' wishes, when deciding what conditions to attach to the software they release. I want to be seen as a positive force on DDB, not as a leech. With that in mind, I am always interested in discussing licensing opportunities, the contracting of programming services or other distribution arrangements should it be of interest. Most importantly, I look forward to working with the community on an ongoing basis and am hoping to contribute to its advancement.
6. Establishing good policies. I'd like this to be considered as a dialog, not as a statement or declaration. I am certainly open to discussing these points, openly and/or privately, in the interest of doing the right thing.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and special thanks to ADH, JJBliss, and rc3105 for spending the time and energy with me to help develop these goals and philosophies, especially in addition to the time spent developing tools, posting and moderating the board. Also, a big thanks to those who have provided insight, tools, and advice on these forums. It does not go unappreciated.
Thanks again, and Happy Holidays!
Lou Jacob
PTVupgrade