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Reitanna's avatar
Reitanna
New Veteran
8 years ago
Solved

inquiry about EA service agreement

I wasn't sure where to ask this; I wanted to contact EA directly, but I couldn't figure out how. so this is about section 5, which reads: "You are responsible for your UGC. You may not upload UGC th...
gameplay issue
  • EA_Mai's avatar
    EA_Mai
    8 years ago

    Hi @Reitanna,

    Let me try to answer then 🙂

    @Reitanna wrote:

    when you say creators cannot accept payment unless it is also available for free, does this include patreon exclusive content?

    I'll quote SimGuruDrake's post on this one:

    @SimGuruDrake wrote:

    As long as the content is still made available FOR FREE we do not mind these types of pages. Folks who have a Patreon page are welcome to provide folks with "early access" incentives for their content but it should be made available to the general public within 2-3 weeks of it being given to folks early.

    Every content released early exclusively for patrons should be available for free for everyone withing 2-3 weeks. 

    @Reitanna wrote:

    are link shorteners in violation of this rule, like adf.ly?

    As long as a payment from users is not required, link shorteners are not a violation of the rule.

    However, as some link shorteners are more trustworthy than others, and again as common courtesy, you may want to consider to which point you want to put your users at risk when choosing where to link them.

    -Mai

Reitanna's avatar
Reitanna
New Veteran
8 years ago

I'm not looking for opinions or points of view, I'm looking for the straight up facts.

crinrict's avatar
crinrict
Hero+
8 years ago

Just thought I'd help out while you wait for EA to give you an answer.

Facts: 

Did some research and found you're a creator yourself ? Are you feeling stepped on your own toes ?

  • EA_Mai's avatar
    EA_Mai
    Icon for EA Staff rankEA Staff
    8 years ago

    Hi @Reitanna,

    crinrict is right, so I'm just posting to confirm what has been said so far.

    As per the User Agreement, all user generated content (UGC) cannot be restricted by the creator if they use EA game assets. UGC includes not only CC or mods, UGC can also be screenshots from the game, videos, or content you upload to the Gallery.

    By restricting we mean the following:

    • Requires payment
    • Requires creator permission

    However, even if not required, it is considered common courtesy to credit a creator if you re-use and slightly modify their created content.

    For queries like this, Answers HQ or forums.thesims.com are actually the best place to ask.

    If you wish to contact our support team via phone call or chat, you can go to EA Help. You will find a detailed explanation on how to contact them if you need it here.

    If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask 🙂

    -Mai

    • Reitanna's avatar
      Reitanna
      New Veteran
      8 years ago

      Yes, EA_Mai, that was very helpful. I have a follow-up question; when you say creators cannot accept payment unless it is also available for free, does this include patreon exclusive content? (my brain is telling me, "duh," but I just wanted to double check.) also, are link shorteners in violation of this rule, like adf.ly?

      • EA_Mai's avatar
        EA_Mai
        Icon for EA Staff rankEA Staff
        8 years ago

        Hi @Reitanna,

        Let me try to answer then 🙂

        @Reitanna wrote:

        when you say creators cannot accept payment unless it is also available for free, does this include patreon exclusive content?

        I'll quote SimGuruDrake's post on this one:

        @SimGuruDrake wrote:

        As long as the content is still made available FOR FREE we do not mind these types of pages. Folks who have a Patreon page are welcome to provide folks with "early access" incentives for their content but it should be made available to the general public within 2-3 weeks of it being given to folks early.

        Every content released early exclusively for patrons should be available for free for everyone withing 2-3 weeks. 

        @Reitanna wrote:

        are link shorteners in violation of this rule, like adf.ly?

        As long as a payment from users is not required, link shorteners are not a violation of the rule.

        However, as some link shorteners are more trustworthy than others, and again as common courtesy, you may want to consider to which point you want to put your users at risk when choosing where to link them.

        -Mai

    • Anonymous's avatar
      Anonymous
      8 years ago
      Mai you said:

      As per the User Agreement, all user generated content (UGC) cannot be restricted by the creator if they use EA game assets.

      Does this mean that if a person created a piece of UGC from scratch or from building blocks ( meshes textures ect) not associated with EA that the creators can do as they like with the content including putting it behind a "paywall" indefinitely?

      The EA TOS states:

      You may not upload UGC that infringes a third party's intellectual property rights or that violates the law, this Agreement or a third party's right of privacy or right of publicity.

      Does this mean that UGC created from scratch is the intellectual property of the creators and not EA?


      I have read:

      Once the work is lawfully sold or even transferred gratuitously, the copyright owner's interest in the material object in which the copyrighted work is embodied is exhausted.

      Does this mean that once I buy a copy of your game (or any copyrighted material for that matter) that I can freely upload and distribute it at will?

      Finally I have seen that EA and Microsoft Visual Studio (among others) use . package files, is this file extension and "EA asset" or would it be considered "freeware" as a computer language?

      Thanks for your prompt response
      Trisimian
    • yavannah79's avatar
      yavannah79
      New Traveler
      6 years ago

      Hi

      I like to report [Removed by CM] because their stuff is still behind the paywall and they use Patreon too. You should check that place. In my opinion, they don't follow EA's TOU at all, but violate it. Especially when download prices are quite high. Also, some other cc creators have unauthorized meshes. There is a time there for their own, but also for others. I thought it would be good to bring this up.
      By the way, the site is owned by [Removed by CM]

      I also apologize for my possibly poor English skills. English is not my native language.

      • EA_Darko's avatar
        EA_Darko
        Icon for Community Manager rankCommunity Manager
        6 years ago

        Hey @yavannah79 I edited your post to remove mention of other users as naming another user and imply that they are in breach of the rules is considered naming and shaming and is something which is against the AHQ User Rules and Guidelines which you can find here: https://answers.ea.com/t5/help/faqpage

        Darko

  • Reitanna's avatar
    Reitanna
    New Veteran
    8 years ago

    I'm not sure what you mean by "stepped on your own toes."

    • crinrict's avatar
      crinrict
      Hero+
      8 years ago
      @Reitanna wrote:

      I'm not sure what you mean by "stepped on your own toes."

      Just wondering if someone recolored your stuff without credits and you're wondering if you can actually put a up a clause like the one you have on your page or not.

      But I guess that doesn't really matter. 

      • Reitanna's avatar
        Reitanna
        New Veteran
        8 years ago
        @crinrict wrote:
        @Reitanna wrote:

        I'm not sure what you mean by "stepped on your own toes."

        Just wondering if someone recolored your stuff without credits and you're wondering if you can actually put a up a clause like the one you have on your page or not.

        But I guess that doesn't really matter. 

        what? no no, the stuff I post follows EA's agreement. I specify that anyone may use my content however they want as long as they don't ask payment for it. credit to me is appreciated, but optional. I wanted clarification so I could help inform other creators of the issues at hand.

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