ID:2072105
 

Problem description:am i allowed to use ss13 sprites since its open source for another project does anyone know? mostly using them as fillers until i sprite my own for certain regions

This mostly belongs in the SS13 forums. I believe you aren't able to use them freely unless it is in another SS13 game, but don't quote me on that. I do know that some distributions of SS13 you cannot use their sprites so double check with the content creators.

http://www.byond.com/forum/Exadv1/SpaceStation13

Edit: I believe SS13 is covered under GPL v3.
Actually more recent versions are covered under AGPLv3. The difference is that GPLv3 has a loophole where you're allowed to keep your work closed-source provided that you only host servers yourself.

IIRC the artwork falls under a different license however, a Creative Commons license that stipulates that you may use them freely but derivative works must be shared.

I'm not sure which license applies here (AGPLv3 vs. the creative commons one) but you could yet use the artwork if you go back to a previous commit before the license was switched to AGPLv3 and not release your host files or source in any way.
In response to NullQuery
How do Exadv1's copyrights on SS13 tie into the current stuff, anyways? Has he just made it all public domain or what?
The original version of SS13 was leaked back in 2006, but was later picked up by members of the SomethingAwful.com forums which proceeded to add their own work to it.

At least at the time the source-code was closed-source, only available to their group, but IIRC the artwork was always shared under a Creative Commons license separate from the main source-code.

IIRC Exadv1 (the original author) was also part of this group for a while, which implies consent.

I've looked it up and it looks like the license used for the resources (icons, sounds, etc.) fall under this license:

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

It states that you're free to use it as you see fit, even for commercial purposes, so long as you share any modifications you make to the original icons/sounds/etc. with the SS13 community.

So it looks like so long as you share the icons themselves (not the full source-code) you'll be find from a legal standpoint, inasmuch that can be reasonably applied to SS13, as I have my doubts there is enough organisation to do something about it should anyone break these rules.

As for the "original copyright": the source-code was leaked back in 2006 so it's a bit murky. I suppose the original source-code is public domain due to the nature of its release (to the best of my knowledge Exadv1 never cleared this up), but the subsequent modifications made by the various communities fall under increasingly stricter GPL licenses. Again, this all seems with the exception of the resources themselves which fall under the Creative Commons license.

tl;dr just do it, you said it was used as filler icons anyway until you got the time to do them yourself. From my experience no-one is going to cry a river over it.
In response to NullQuery
NullQuery wrote:
As for the "original copyright": the source-code was leaked back in 2006 so it's a bit murky. I suppose the original source-code is public domain due to the nature of its release (to the best of my knowledge Exadv1 never cleared this up), but the subsequent modifications made by the various communities fall under increasingly stricter GPL licenses.

That sounds like a very... murky copyright situation. Works don't fall into the public domain without it either happening "naturally" due to the copyright expiring or because the original producer of the copyrighted works explicitly put them in the public domain. Maybe the fact that Exadv1 actively worked on it could suggest something, but I'm not an IP lawyer.

In any case, if Exadv1 still claims copyright on the source that could make the situation of applying other licenses to it completely invalid unless they're not derivative works.

To summarize: sounds fucking complicated yo
I still have the source that was shown during 2008 :D
all very interesting so basically no one knows whats up with the copyright lol just wanted to use a few creatures from it since they fit in well with my game
In response to Hishio
Well, any new sprites will almost certainly fall under some copyleft license (presumably CC). But sprites that are from the original game appear murky until Exadv1 clarifies whether he has placed the original SS13 source under a copyleft license (and which copyleft license) or into the public domain.