Steam will be a huge target for this engine, so I figure lets get some of the License questions out of the way. Steam is a community based on modding games. Valve’s Gold Src, Source, and now Source 2 that runs DOTA 2 all hugely support modding, Counter Strike, Team Fortess etc. are just a few that have tons of work in the Workshop category.
Can we distribute the source of this engine/framework with our game?
I am new to MPL 2. Say we decided to use Armory for our game. The great thing about Steam is they have Blender as an app. So it would be really easy, and all included in one platform to have the potential modder download blender, then download a workshop item or a zip containing the source, then just have them open blender and point user prefs to where the armory.py is.
The downside of this is you don’t have the blender player which aids in rapid development. In turn I wonder if we could include the blender source in workshop as well and just give instruction on how to build from source as a method 2.
Either way, locking in the details of what is okay and not okay, in plain language, would be great. I think this would be a great solution to Steam games that want to allow modding of their games, can we include the source and link to the git repo/MPL license and be good?
I did some checking:
Q9: I want to distribute (outside my organization) MPL-licensed source code that I have modified. What do I have to do?
To see the complete set of requirements, read the license. However, generally:
You must inform the recipients that the source code is made available to them under the terms of the MPL (Section 3.1), including any Modifications (as defined in Section 1.10) that you have created.
You must make the grants described in Section 2 of the license.
You must respect the restrictions on removing or altering notices in the source code (Section 3.4).
…this seems to say it is okay, I am just double checking that I am understanding it correctly and wanting to get the communities take on this.
1.10. “Modifications”
means any of the following:
(a) any file in Source Code Form that results from an addition to,
deletion from, or modification of the contents of Covered
Software; or
(b) any new file in Source Code Form that contains any Covered
Software.
- License Grants and Conditions
2.1. Grants
Each Contributor hereby grants You a world-wide, royalty-free,
non-exclusive license:
(a) under intellectual property rights (other than patent or trademark)
Licensable by such Contributor to use, reproduce, make available,
modify, display, perform, distribute, and otherwise exploit its
Contributions, either on an unmodified basis, with Modifications, or
as part of a Larger Work; and
(b) under Patent Claims of such Contributor to make, use, sell, offer
for sale, have made, import, and otherwise transfer either its
Contributions or its Contributor Version.
2.2. Effective Date
The licenses granted in Section 2.1 with respect to any Contribution
become effective for each Contribution on the date the Contributor first
distributes such Contribution.
2.3. Limitations on Grant Scope
The licenses granted in this Section 2 are the only rights granted under
this License. No additional rights or licenses will be implied from the
distribution or licensing of Covered Software under this License.
Notwithstanding Section 2.1(b) above, no patent license is granted by a
Contributor:
(a) for any code that a Contributor has removed from Covered Software;
or
(b) for infringements caused by: (i) Your and any other third party’s
modifications of Covered Software, or (ii) the combination of its
Contributions with other software (except as part of its Contributor
Version); or
(c) under Patent Claims infringed by Covered Software in the absence of
its Contributions.
This License does not grant any rights in the trademarks, service marks,
or logos of any Contributor (except as may be necessary to comply with
the notice requirements in Section 3.4).
2.4. Subsequent Licenses
No Contributor makes additional grants as a result of Your choice to
distribute the Covered Software under a subsequent version of this
License (see Section 10.2) or under the terms of a Secondary License (if
permitted under the terms of Section 3.3).
2.5. Representation
Each Contributor represents that the Contributor believes its
Contributions are its original creation(s) or it has sufficient rights
to grant the rights to its Contributions conveyed by this License.
2.6. Fair Use
This License is not intended to limit any rights You have under
applicable copyright doctrines of fair use, fair dealing, or other
equivalents.
2.7. Conditions
Sections 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4 are conditions of the licenses granted
in Section 2.1.
- Responsibilities
3.1. Distribution of Source Form
All distribution of Covered Software in Source Code Form, including any
Modifications that You create or to which You contribute, must be under
the terms of this License. You must inform recipients that the Source
Code Form of the Covered Software is governed by the terms of this
License, and how they can obtain a copy of this License. You may not
attempt to alter or restrict the recipients’ rights in the Source Code
Form.
3.4. Notices
You may not remove or alter the substance of any license notices
(including copyright notices, patent notices, disclaimers of warranty,
or limitations of liability) contained within the Source Code Form of
the Covered Software, except that You may alter any license notices to
the extent required to remedy known factual inaccuracies.
