Open source, BVE versions, OpenBVE, and copyright. lets get things str8

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salieri101:

I heard or read sumwhere that one of the BVE versions or OPENBVE (I dunno which) is open-source.

I thought that open-source means that anyone can freely modify any models or routes or anything in it if he/she knows how to.

Now if this is true (no matter which version of BVE is open-source) then i don't understand why ppl stick so hard to copyright things about their creations in any BVE version.

Can anyone explain this here?

EDIT: sorry if this is in the wrong place

Dj Hammers:

the "Open" in OpenBVE means that the actual game's source code is open-source. The trains and routes themselves are not Open-Source.

ipaclansite:

There is alot of issues with this copyright thing, so I will clear it up for you.

OpenBVE is open-source, and is literally "public-domain" which means anybody can take the software and its source code and do whatever they please with it.  In fact its anti-copyright.  This is the SOFTWARE itself, NOT the routes, or trains that run on it.  If OpenBVE wasn't anti-copyright, then there would be conflicts between copyrighted BVE content.

Then there is BVE 2/4, which is NOT open-source, instead its FREEWARE.  Freeware and Open-source software have MAJOR differences, I cant stress this enough.

Freeware is COPYRIGHTED software, which cannot be freely modified or messed around with if so I can say.  As with all COPYRIGHTED software, you must obey the license, and copyright laws related with it.  Its safe to say, that freeware is basically software that you would normally pay for, but its free.

Open-source software is not necessarily copyrighted, rather it is more free than copyright software, where you are free to do whatever you like with the source code, build, expand, and do what you please, with a few restrictions, there still is a license that comes with many Open Source software, but they are generally more loose than freeware.

Then there's OpenBVE which is Open Source, and anti-copyright, with absolutely no restrictions whatsoever.

Now what about the content that both of these software run?  Thats CONTENT, and are not part of the SOFTWARE.  Therefore, it is up to the creator on what he wants to license his work under.  Most of the time authors choose to release their routes and trains as FREEWARE, and NOT Open source, some of the very generous ones do, but its rare.  So the content is COMPLETELY separate from the license of the software, because it doesn't necessarily modify the software in anyway or anything of that nature.

Just because I have Open Office, and Microsoft Word, with a standard rich document file that both programs can open, does not mean Microsoft Word is open source.  And for the actual content itself, many programs (some paid, some free, some open source) can read PDF files, but some PDF files are secured, since one of those programs are open source, does that mean all PDF files, absolutely NOT.

Anyway I hope I cleared some things up on copyright issues.  So here's the conclusion.
BVE is FREEWARE, NOT Open Source
OpenBVE is Open Source, and "anti-copyright"
Just because the content works on OpenBVE does NOT make it Open Source
Content is completely separate from the program, and only is licensed under the author's decisions, unless the software holds a copyright to the type of content.

Other information:
That does come to a debate on whether we can sell our content if we designed it for OpenBVE, because of its anti-copyright nature.  The author of the original BVE, does specify we cannot sell content for BVE.  So that will be the only gray area I see, and that can be a debate.

Dj Hammers:

YES! It's great that this has been explained in detail. Kevin, can you sticky this topic?

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