DO NOT USE ESOCORE, ADDON THEFT!

Wykkyd · April 2014

Spread the word: ESOCORE.COM is stealing and re-hosting addons without author permission.

DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE. SPREAD THE WORD!

Huggernaut · April 2014

(The original post this post was about was removed by the mods)

^^ Way to support your community authors jerk.

These guys spend their time and energy building mods for ingrates like yourself to use. They don't do it for profit, they do it because they enjoy the game and want to help the community grow.

So I think the least anyone that uses a addon can do (and I am assuming you are one of those people, otherwise why would you even be in this section?) is show them a modicum of respect.

I think the very least we can do is give them credit for their work and scum sites like the above that steal work from the authors should be boycotted.

Awesometographer · April 2014

File a DMCA takedown notice.

ItISLupus · April 2014

What the above poster said.

Wykkyd · April 2014

Not very thrilled at the thought of having to pay money to get back my content that I do not get paid to generate... at a loss. Yes, that sounds very fair.

Cairenn · April 2014

You don't need to spend money, at least not initially, to start fighting the guy. Check out the info I posted over on our site. Links to a lot of tools and information to help you.

ItISLupus · April 2014

Wykkyd wrote: »

Not very thrilled at the thought of having to pay money to get back my content that I do not get paid to generate... at a loss. Yes, that sounds very fair.

Might I suggest adding a signature to your future addons, something hidden in code to back up any claims(while I hate the idea of it happening again) that might come in the future.

Mechcondrid · April 2014

the code signature idea is the easiest to do as well as the most concealable; it doesnt even have to be something that makes sense, it can be a simple thing like a phrase or name that only you would recognize. it could (if your feeling particularly crafty) be a generated phrase that is displayed upon a entering a certain command or text string in the chat (it doesnt even have to be worded or structured like a command it could be something like a non-sensical phrase that means nothing but once the plugin sees it in chat it would display the information)

eversong · April 2014

You are welcome to try to settle your disagreement in court if you believe you can make a case. Until then, these kinds of accusations could be interpreted as libel and have no business being posted on these forums.

Cairenn · April 2014

*blink* *blink* *boggle*

Red · April 2014

Wykkyd wrote: »

Not very thrilled at the thought of having to pay money to get back my content that I do not get paid to generate... at a loss. Yes, that sounds very fair.

Check out https://copyrightalliance.org/2012/03/in-plain-english-a-quick-guide-to-dmca-takedown-notices for a basic procedure.

Be sure to deal with their ISP/host rather than directly, as the host stands to lose the most so generally always are very responsive about it.

Many let you do a takedown by email, but even if they only allow the legal minimum it takes a postage stamp and your time to print and mail it.

Unfortunately nobody but you (or your lawyer, if you bothered to get one for it) can do the takedown or I'd do it for you.

simon_t_magusb14_ESO · April 2014

It seems that Huggernaut doesn't realize that Wykkyd is the author of some of the best (If not the best) mods available for ESO. It is more than understandable that he doesn't want his work on a different site - and without even crediting him no less. Wykkyd, My wife, our friends, and I will all be avoiding that site like the plague. Just know that my crew really appreciates the work you've been doing to make the game a bit more fun and a smoother ride.

skeletorz_ESO · April 2014

Huggernaut should be tarred and feathered. Get the pitchforks!

Oh wait. ESOCORE.COM should be tarred and feathered. Get the pitchforks!

delotheric · April 2014

skeletors and simon im am assuming u didnt read his whole post? is was not bash op but agreesing with him and i agree with op its bull**** like that that pisses me off.

eventHandler · April 2014

You can't add a code signature to lua scripts; it's a scripting language, not compiled code. Anyone can easily open the text file and delete it. And that's the *good* thing about having addons be lua: you can see exactly what it is doing. If you were to encourage him to make some kind of installer to obfuscate what is going on, then we start to see virus fakes pop up, which is far worse.

Either way, the framework still has his name in the settings menu, so that's built in credit. And modders make mods because we enjoy the game and want to share our ideas and creations for it with others who enjoy the game; people enjoying the mod is a success, whether its credited or not.

Is it annoying? Yes. Should people be getting sued? No. Wykkyd as the right idea in telling people about what they are doing and boycotting the site, but the commenters are taking it too extreme and that is the sort of thing we all hate about companies like EA, so lets not turn the wonderful and open modding community into some corporate entity that takes that kind of bs so serious. DMCA's destroy creativity and stifle new work.

Focus on the game and sharing the mod with friends by telling them about the site its supposed to be on so they don't find it on their own on scam sites. Wykkyd has better things to do than figure out how to DMCA them and waste his time arguing with them.

Elaithe · April 2014

Wykkyd, I feel your pain and agree with you but the only thing this post is doing is giving that website more hits and that is all they care about.

Love your work, know that myself and many MANY others are behind you.

Sturmlied · April 2014

Wykkyd, website is on my ignore list. And as you don't get money for your work.../hug and Thanks for your great work

moonsugar66 · April 2014

Thanks for the warning, Wykkyd. Love your addons, btw.

Spug · April 2014

esocore.com is hosted by GoDaddy. Send a complete complaint to abuse@godaddy.com or call them at +1.480-624-2505. They are pretty hard core about shutting down domains that are breaching their terms of service, but ensure your case is valid and prepare and give as much info as possible for them to verify.

TaergEno · April 2014

Question: How is what they are doing illegal? They are not claiming any copyright over the addons.

This is pulled right from their main page: "ESOcore.com does not develop addons and has no intentions of copyright on the addons uploaded to the site. All copyright belongs to the addon developers."

Last I heard, hosting/re-hosting content that is freely distributed is not illegal.

Sturmlied · April 2014

You still need the permission of the owner of the rights (even free stuff belongs to someone) and need to credit that person unless stated otherwise.

But in anyway it is not illegal. It maybe a breach of licensing agreement if Wykkyd agrees with me that his addons are freeware and it definitely is very rude not to at least credit the content creators.

Wykkyd · April 2014

Spug wrote: »

esocore.com is hosted by GoDaddy. Send a complete complaint to abuse@godaddy.com or call them at +1.480-624-2505. They are pretty hard core about shutting down domains that are breaching their terms of service, but ensure your case is valid and prepare and give as much info as possible for them to verify.

No they aren't. The domain name was purchased through GoDaddy. Hosting is through Hostinger. The files are hosted by a 3rd company.

TaergEno · April 2014

Sturmlied wrote: »

You still need the permission of the owner of the rights (even free stuff belongs to someone) and need to credit that person unless stated otherwise.

But in anyway it is not illegal. It maybe a breach of licensing agreement if Wykkyd agrees with me that his addons are freeware and it definitely is very rude not to at least credit the content creators.

Aren't they crediting them though by saying the copyrights belong to the addon creators/developers?

Also, is Curse doing the same thing as esocore? They have most addons posted too. Also doesn't 'GNU General Public License version 3 (GPLv3)' basically allow anyone to host/share the content as long as they do not claim ownership?

StopThi5 · April 2014

TaergEno wrote: »

Question: How is what they are doing illegal? They are not claiming any copyright over the addons.

This is pulled right from their main page: "ESOcore.com does not develop addons and has no intentions of copyright on the addons uploaded to the site. All copyright belongs to the addon developers."

Last I heard, hosting/re-hosting content that is freely distributed is not illegal.

This is true... But this is extremely bad etiquette to not give credit to who the authors are.. Plus, they could be embedding their own malware into it, and then the authors get blamed for that. They should seek the authors permission first. Hopefully ESOUI will just put them out because this esocore site blows. Looks like a website from 1990s. Perhaps a high school students class project.

Wykkyd · April 2014

It's content created by the author, hosted by choice on specific websites by the author and then supported by that author. His site:

Didn't have permission to do any of it
Was hosting addons of mine that had my name stripped from them
Isn't supplying proper versions or information, causing support issues
Isn't a site I support or help manage the uploads/downloads of, so is causing me far more grief just by existing

"Hey Wykkyd, I got your addon off ESOCORE and I'm getting UI Error such-and-such..."

^^ that has happened. It's how I found out the site existed. Here I am trying to be responsive and help users of my addons and I'm dancing around old versions uploaded to a site that wasn't even giving me proper credit, nor had my permission to host.

Wykkyd · April 2014

TaergEno wrote: »

Also, is Curse doing the same thing as esocore? They have most addons posted too. Also doesn't 'GNU General Public License version 3 (GPLv3)' basically allow anyone to host/share the content as long as they do not claim ownership?

Curse requires uploading addons through CurseForge and has a very strenuous approval process. They will remove any addons hosted by the non-owner and you have to sign a "this is mine" legal agreement to even upload.

ESOUI has an approval process for even UPDATES to addons, let alone the hosting of addons, and they too require agreement that what you're uploading belongs to you and will kick you if they find out otherwise.

NexusMods, same deal initially but no approval on updates after you're hosted.

TESOElite has the same kind of protection, only the addon authors can host (note that mine aren't hosted there).

^^ this list goes on and on. Maintaining and supporting addons on multiple sites takes almost as much time as developing them... time I do not get paid for.

Putting my addon inside your guild forums, no biggie.

Putting my addon on a completely separate website in order to drive traffic to you and cause nothing but problems for me, not cool.

Legalities aside it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how bad this is.

TaergEno · April 2014

Wykkyd wrote: »

It's content created by the author, hosted by choice on specific websites by the author and then supported by that author. His site:
Didn't have permission to do any of it

Was hosting addons of mine that had my name stripped from them

Isn't supplying proper versions or information, causing support issues

Isn't a site I support or help manage the uploads/downloads of, so is causing me far more grief just by existing

"Hey Wykkyd, I got your addon off ESOCORE and I'm getting UI Error such-and-such..."

^^ that has happened. It's how I found out the site existed. Here I am trying to be responsive and help users of my addons and I'm dancing around old versions uploaded to a site that wasn't even giving me proper credit, nor had my permission to host.

Ahh got it. Stripping your name out of it is a big no no. If it were for personal use only and not going to be distributed then that's one thing. But since they are re-distributing they definitely need to keep your name in there.

Yeah I can also see the versioning issues being a huge problem, especially around launch/patch times. Is there maybe a way to build in a 'version checker' into the addon, like some do in WoW? That may alleviate those issues somewhat.

Anyways, which site would you recommend? esoui or curse? is esoui hosted by same people as wowinterface?

Wykkyd · April 2014

ESOUI is the same company as RiftUI, WoWInterface, WoWHead, ESOHead, etc... they have dozens of sites and they are very professional.

Now that they have Minion (download manager) I recommend them first. Curse is widely used so I host there as well. NexusMods is where people familiar with modding Skyrim & Oblivion & Morrowind are used to going, so I host there as well. ESOUI gets far more traffic, is easiest to update & manage, easiest to support users on, and has overall been the best to authors thus far (my opinion).

This is not to slight Robin Scott of NexusMods who put a lot of personal effort into helping me directly pre-launch. She has been amazing. ESOUI just has a better footprint at the current time.

TaergEno · April 2014

Wykkyd wrote: »

Curse requires uploading addons through CurseForge and has a very strenuous approval process. They will remove any addons hosted by the non-owner and you have to sign a "this is mine" legal agreement to even upload.

ESOUI has an approval process for even UPDATES to addons, let alone the hosting of addons, and they too require agreement that what you're uploading belongs to you and will kick you if they find out otherwise.

NexusMods, same deal initially but no approval on updates after you're hosted.

TESOElite has the same kind of protection, only the addon authors can host (note that mine aren't hosted there).

Oh nice, I did not know they had such approval processes. That is good to know.

Sturmlied · April 2014

TaergEno wrote: »

Wykkyd wrote: »

It's content created by the author, hosted by choice on specific websites by the author and then supported by that author. His site:
Didn't have permission to do any of it

Was hosting addons of mine that had my name stripped from them

Isn't supplying proper versions or information, causing support issues

Isn't a site I support or help manage the uploads/downloads of, so is causing me far more grief just by existing

"Hey Wykkyd, I got your addon off ESOCORE and I'm getting UI Error such-and-such..."

^^ that has happened. It's how I found out the site existed. Here I am trying to be responsive and help users of my addons and I'm dancing around old versions uploaded to a site that wasn't even giving me proper credit, nor had my permission to host.

Ahh got it. Stripping your name out of it is a big no no. If it were for personal use only and not going to be distributed then that's one thing. But since they are re-distributing they definitely need to keep your name in there.

Yeah I can also see the versioning issues being a huge problem, especially around launch/patch times. Is there maybe a way to build in a 'version checker' into the addon, like some do in WoW? That may alleviate those issues somewhat.

Anyways, which site would you recommend? esoui or curse? is esoui hosted by same people as wowinterface?

I don't know if Wowinterface and esoui are the same people but it is the same network (ZAM). So let's say yes. I prefer ESOUI after the curse client tried to infect my pc with trojans (not their fault but still)

Wykkyd · April 2014

Sturmlied wrote: »

I prefer ESOUI after the curse client tried to infect my pc with trojans (not their fault but still)

Curse has a few nice perks for authors. However, their client isn't updated frequently enough to handle the nuances of new games. Their site falls into disrepair often. Their approval process is slow because they don't have enough people paying attention to it (files can sit for days without even being looked at). They are my least favorite site to maintain.