About this Guide

A Practical Guide to IP and the Community

This started out as a one page blog post.  It them became a series and now its a website.  The site is intended to be an easy and simple to understand guide to the basics of Intellectual Property (IP) rights and how it applies to the ArmA Modding Community at large. 

We hope to provide a reference resource for both Modders and Users alike. Covering everything from your basic rights right up to DMCA and Fair Use. There has been a lot said about IP rights in the community.  Most of it wrong or misinformed. So I thought I'd try and set a few things straight and de-dunk some myths and outright lies.  

DISCLAIMER: 

• I am not a lawyer.
• This site is resource for legal education, NOT legal advice.
• The information here is gathered from various legal and government authorities links to all sources are provided.
• Any commentary should be regarded as opinion and if you have any actionable legal issues please seek professional legal advice.

WHO AM I & HOW AM I QUALIFIED: 
I am a Project Manager living in the UK with over 25 years of experience dealing with contracts and projects across the world, many of which featured significant Intellectual Property related issues.

I’ve been making free and commercial content for the OFP/Arma/VBS Series of games and sims since 2002. For nearly 10 years of that time I ran my own 3D content creation business largely focused on models for Simulation but also Gaming and TV/Film industries based in the UK, Europe and the US. In the course of which I’ve been through the legal process many times. Taking over a dozen cases to court and settling even more out of court (I’ve never been sued for IP theft only sued others) during which I learnt a lot about IP, Copyright and what you can and cannot do. And after losing my first case due to a legal loophole I did my research and I have not lost a case since.

I like to think I do have the experience to understand the subject well enough to write this.  But don’t just take my word for it.  Do your own research.  I have provided links to relevant laws and credible sources. If you have any doubts or questions about your rights you should always consult a legal professional before taking action.

I’m sorry if it’s a bit of a long read. I had wanted to make a short article about IP rights, but it’s a complex topic and in the past people asked me to explain or justify my statements so it’s turned into a bit of an essay which has now turned into a small ish website.

I think it’s best to lay it all out.

Rock

Jan 2020