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Sony: Be Mindful of LittleBigPlanet Content
The deletion of some of LittleBigPlanet's user-created levels has irked some gamers in recent days.
But there is some method to the madness, according to a statement from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe posted on the ThreeSpeech blog:
The company reminded gamers:
- Ensure that the content you share with other users is suitable for all ages - everybody has access to your level if you publish it.
- Please respect other people’s intellectual property rights. For example, don’t use images, brands or logos that you’re not entitled to use.
- If you come across any content that you feel the need to report, then please do it responsibly. Hoax reports will be considered inappropriate behavior.
Certain popular user-generated levels that would appear suitable for mass audiences were recently deleted, including one based on God of War, which clearly broke Sony's IP usage rule.
Sony said 84,000 levels have been uploaded, but "less than 0.5 percent" have been moderated. The firm said it is working to improve moderation methods, "in particular regarding [communicating] the reasons that user complaints are upheld."
The company also reported 27 million level play-throughs.
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I'm sure this is something Sony was preparred for. I think these problems are why MS for the most part doesn't allow certain types of user created content (although I've seen 4-5 games that do have user created content with Far Cry 2 and XBLA game N being the most recent I can think of). IP infringement and inappropriate content are hot items and its hard to monitor so much activity, the logistics of it have to be a huge headache for Sony.
I do find it a little silly that a God of War level would bother them, but I guess IP infringement covers all IPs whether its first party or not. If that's the case, Guitar Hero: World Tour has infringed on a lot of rights already with Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong songs all over the place. I say if its not inappropriate (sexually explicit), then it shouldn't be a big deal. People who make the levels are not making money from it. You can as someone else has already stated argue that this game can help more than it can hurt someone else's IP. Free advertisement to millions of people? Even if the content is taken from say an Xbox game, or Wii game, that's just advertising that content to PS3 owners who may not have an Xbox or Wii. I really don't see what the problem is.
Youtube has been getting away with stuff like this forever, why can't consoles?
Yeah fairone mate. YouTube takes the piss, it's only recently the had clamp down on copyright material. But just like LBP you can't stop users posting up popular content regardless of whether it copyright or Intellectual property
Someone explain to me how you can be sued for putting up content for free that imitates someone else's IP. If you have a band you can charge for admission to a concert and play copyrighted material all night long and it only becomes illegal if you record and sell it. Is there really a legal issue here or is Sony being aggressively protective?
I don't know the exact term, but if copyrighted material is used in a tangible form (digital/printed/physical media/etc) then the copyright holder has the legal right to control how their copyrights are used. This could apply to something as seemingly innocent as fan-fiction. Usually, companies don't even bother with a cease and desist order when violation are small scale, some companies, like Lucas FIlms even allow Star Wars to be used in text based multiplayer games, as long as there's no profit made off of the games.
Music is also a bit of an anomaly in the copyright law space, since publishing and selling sheet music was the way the music industry made money before recorded music technology got better and record players (which played 78 RPM acetates) were more common. With the sheet music, one of the best ways to promote it was to get popular singers/bands to play them live so that was encouraged.
Even today, if you wanted to record a cover of a popular song and sell that recording, the publishing royalties you pay are fixed and you cannot be denied by the publishing rights holder.
Sampling a music performance or interpolating a melody or chord progression too closely to that of a copyrighted song, and there's a good chance you'll get a cease and desist order and then sued if you don't comply. This model fits with what's happening in LBP, people are in many cases scanning in the actual images from other IP and making extremely close recreations of levels from other games.
Add to the fact that most of this IP is owned by directly competitors to Sony in the same industry, and the chances are pretty decent that one of them may sue, even if it's only to hurt Sony. Sony is taking a pre-emptive stance to prevent there from being any grounds to sue, even taking a hard line with the IP they own.
If I remember correctly one of LBP adds revolved around God of War and how you can play in level based on the game. I don't understand why now Sony is making a big deal on people designing a God of War level, I can understand levels based on Mario and others companies IP but as far as I can see it having a God of War level will be good publicity and will remind people of the upcoming GoW 3.
It just doesn't make sense to me.
It's funny isn't it !! If that's where the case there wouldn't be any content on LBP.. I played an ace level that some Japanese dude had created which was an interpretation of Salamander, the 80’s side scrolling shooter up that was so popular back in the day. Moderated or not if we're taking about the borrow someone else idea, probably most of the maps on their are dubious, because as Little Big Planeteers or influences aren't limited to generic junk.
I have seen numerous versions of Kaneda's Motorcycle (AKIRA) knocking about the place. People want to see their favourite stuff in LBP if that mean other people intellectual property may find it into the game well that's just tough titties. You gave us a sandbox and a way to share our creations with the community not just leave us to it and let us create and have fun, with out limits or boundaries, like you clever marketing suggests. Besides you would have thought that Media Molecule and Sony would have had their legal teams looking into this way in advance of release day.
I can’t understand why there has been so much controversy surrounding this release, although I find it hard to fathom why? After all it's just a sandbox. We've already seen it pulled once because some very sensitive Muslim fundamentalists decided they didn't like the music that was written by "A Devote Muslim".
Now we have worries about contents. You can't just give the people the freedom to build whatever they want and then issues statements discouraging people to do so. It's hardly in keeping with getting behind the game and making sure that it's presented in the best light. I think Sony have really shot themselves in the foot with this release, it's certainly a landmark
Can anyone think of any other games that have caused so much developer paranoia? I mean give the fact that we've had games like Postal and Mortal Kombat.
Come on Sony, stick to what you good at and leave the morality policing to Microsoft!!
I heard that when a level is published to the servers, the level is removed from your HD, and currently the only way around that is to make a copy of it before publishing it.
If there's zero notice about the fact that this happens, this is a bit sketchy. Moderating content from the Sony run servers which violates copyright or is inappropriate is fine, but the user should be entitled to keep what they made and do whatever they want in the privacy of their own console.
Hopefully there's also a P2P option where without publishing your levels, you can invite friends to play that level.
Savagehenry, your level sounds like a kewl concept, it's too bad that collapsing buildings used as platforming elements are apparently offensive. In cases of extremely subjective interpretations, they should allow the creator the option to rebuttal, even though it should have been obvious to the moderator that the complainer was a reactionary sort of individual.
Everythings about moderation. So much for freedom of speech and freedom of expression. with LBP you've actually got users moderating the maps. So it's easy to see how this power could get abused.
I got a grief report against me claiming that my level was offensive. I created a level were the building explode beneath you feet as you jump from roof top to roof top, it' was kind of like George of the Jungle crossed with mirror's edge, with my own pyrotechnics thrown in for good measure..
I got grief because on of the buildings looked similar to the world trade center towers. Come on people get over it, that controlled demolition (IMO) was 7 years ago!! It really does amazes me that there a somemany people out there with such delicate sensibilities.
What's the point of marketing a game that bills totally freedom create. Then tells you what you can and can't create ?
"Everythings about moderation. So much for freedom of speech and freedom of expression. with LBP you've actually got users moderating the maps. So it's easy to see how this power could get abused."
Sure, there can be an abuse of power but this is not about limiting freedom of expression or speech. This is about avoiding a lawsuit from a company who's IP is being infringed upon. Makes perfect sense and it is completely within Sony's rights to ban that material. You can make anything you want, just don't infringe on other's IP.
I understand what you are saying, makes perfect sense to me too. I can understand Sony’s reasoning for protecting themselves. But its surely for purely financial reasons. They don't want to get sued by their competitors and that’s absolutely fair enough.
What is going into LBP at the moment is primarily what people are influence by!! Whether it be Sonic, Mario, Ico or whatever this is what gamer want to great because these are the best and most well known concepts. Like I said in my post the map that i published was heavily influence by a game I played on the Dragon 32 (1982 - http://www.museo8bits.com/dragon.htm). But it's not like you can create a like for like copy of a level from a Mario game, even if you wanted too the mechanics in LBP are completely different.
I do wonder though what they thought people were going to do with this really easy to use Sandbox editor and surely the should have thought of this during the development period and not trying to close the gate after the horse has bolted.
Other games within the modding community don't seem to have the same problem you don't see the likes of Dice getting sued by Lucas Art for modders creating First Strike, which is a mod for BF2142. No of course you don't because there is no reason for Lucas Arts to be enraged. I could understand though if the dev's behind First Strike, decided to put a price tag on it and deny Lucas Art royalties.
You also don't see Kojima getting annoyed because a model of Snake has found it way on to Unreal Tournament as a character mod and you don’t see EpicGames Banning or pulling the mod because of fear of reprisals. These are rough examples but there are similarities to what is happening with Sony right now and to what has already gone before in the modding community.
And other companies do have a problem with it. Kings Quest fan remake and Halo RTS are two that come to mind. I think the biggest issue it that, in th case of the examples you provided with Snake is that Sony is actually hosting the levels. Epic does not run the UT servers, so they can't be sued for distributing Konami's content.
In the case of LBP, Sony is completely on the hook for all content that gets distributed.
LBP content get's distributed from free ? How is that infringing on anyone’s copyright ? Are the MechWarrior’s dev's getting a class action lawsuit together because some clever buggers decided they want to remake in the Crytek engine. There are hundreds of examples where other companies IP's have appeared in users modded content, Look at how moddable GTA SA was. I had pretty much every cool car model modded in that game. Do I think that modders ask express permission to use the model or likeness of a Dodge Viper for example? No they didn't, were there any repercussions afterwards. No there wasn't.
Whether it be artwork or models it doesn't really matter, they fact remains that they should be grateful that there brand is popular and identifiable rather than restricting it's use and looking for a way of screwing some cash out of the competition it's rather pathetic. Because actually you stifling people creativity
Who suffer, well it the gamers of course, because all this will filters down until we are left with a homogenised version of LBP that's safe for you to consume without it affecting anyone else! How boring!!
Surely they want people to be building version of Mario levels and creating Motorbike and Low riders or a side scrolling versions of Mirror's edge.. That’s creativity and foresight in action. Because it's people sitting in their bedrooms saying ” Wow that’s cool.. I wanna see it in LBP let go create!!”. Isn't that why they created the game in the first place ?
I agree though there is more than likely one of two people that have gone to court against the modding community. Just as there are thousands of mods for various different games that don't necessarily have the blessing of the official creator, although like I said bar the odd on or two you won't see many get pulled, most try to embrace the modding community at least. Some big company actively designing there games around moddability. So it's a bit of sweeping generalisation that all big IP’s have problem with people using their brand or products in games. Because if you aren’t going to put it in, they will!
If sony want to cast a big black shadow of LBP and the way users are percieved to use it it's going to have implication for the whole community. The idea was that you were free to creat and free to distribute. all I am saying is this doesn't sound like the case anymore. How gives, I don't mind seeing the occasional Nike Swoosh as long as Nike haven't but there themselves