This is just a heads up for modders who want to retain control of their work. Back in July it was noticed that the site mentioned in the thread title had been stealing mods, uploading them, creating accounts for the creators which they are then expected to claim. http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/402881-important-a-site-is-stealing-mods/page__p__3323913 details exactly what they were doing, the owner of the site also turned up and was put in his place. Some time later he issued http://gmod.com/video/Gmod%20Apology on his website, sadly he didn't follow that up by removing all the mods he'd stolen. Now he's stooped to new lows, instead of hosting these files himself he's decided to link to them on sites instead, unlike other link sites http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/428348-gmod-content-policy-content-index-system/ thus bypassing the ads that pay for the bandwidth, in fact bypassing the hosts website completely. He is still stealing images to go with the links.

I'm passing this info on firstly to make modders aware that their work may be stolen and they'll be forced to open an account at this site to gain control over it and secondly as a heads up to those hosting mods that they should keep an eye on who is linking to their files. If people are members of other communities it may be worth spreading the word about this, this guy isn't a gamer, he's out to make money from other peoples hard work.

Useful links...

Bandwidth stealing thread.... http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/428348-gmod-content-policy-content-index-system/

Stealing content.... http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/402881-important-a-site-is-stealing-mods/page__p__3323913

More detail from Maigrets..... http://waalx.com/RealSwordsForum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=538

Another thread on the Nexus, this one is limited to those who can access the modders forum.... http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/428552-on-gmodcoms-latest-offering/

I'm probably gonna get flamed for playing devil's advocate but..

I personally don't see what the big deal is - after all the authors choose to release mods to public domain. And gmod did the right thing (eventually) by giving people a choice and amazingly enough, even a public apology.

There are many people that do this with mods (plenty of german and russian sites) already, and things that are actually breaking serious copyright laws. There are many not so scrupulous but not entirely illegal ways to make money online. Mods aren't really being "stolen" since they are being given away anyway.

Putting them on the internet doesn't mean you've given away your rights, the apology is meaningless because it wasn't followed up, forcing people to register just to control their own work is about as wrong as it gets and stealing bandwidth is inexcusable. I suggest you read through the threads, this is someone who wants to run a business off other peoples hard work, it isn't just another link site.

It's because the owner of that site does not care about the golden rule of mod distribution: "ask before you host." Permissions are taken very seriously by this community, as it allows for the author to let the public know what he did. You ALWAYS give credit where credit is due. You have a right to control your content even if it is released to public domain. When someone uploads a file you made somewhere without your permission, you do not have control over that file, which is a violation of that Author's Right. By this right, we can see who is downloading our files and provide support for those who do. We need to know these details, not because we are control freaks, but because it enables us to help those who use our files.

What this site is trying to do is essentially cut as many corners as possible to get the modding site populated. However, they have tread on A LOT of toes at this point, and if this continues, that site WILL fail.

All I can say to whoever is running that site now is this: start over. Your site has a terrible reputation now and I don't think you are ever going to salvage it.

*edited*

Another link.... http://forums.runicgames.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18042&hilit=gmod (Has some strong language in the title).

H/T Halororor

The most critical flaw from "your" point of view will be by direct linkage to the download server you bypass my dedicated download pages on the hosts I've chosen and where I'm watching, answering questions and helping people step-by-step through complex mod installs. Coming from gmod.com you have no means to get in contact with me, I don't even know you downloaded my mods, and thus you're screwed with a massive lack of support for the mods you just downloaded.

As an additional sign for how bad their design is right now, I just re-uploaded one of my mods they were linking to on TES Nexus, as I always do when publishing an update, which is something I'm doing on a regular basis, so now Nexus users get the new file, from my download page and the files tab, but gmod.com users get a "file not found" page from the Nexus. I hope I don't need to prove how wrong this design is any further now.

This and forcing you to download a "tool" to be able to download and install mods from their site just reeks like "malware" to me. They may call it a "mod install guide", propose how much it will ease your downloading, installing and using of mods, but 1st their proposals are false, the way they're describing it things are never going to work, and 2nd, this "tool" will be collecting user data and make it available to them for marketing purposes. They even tell so in their TOU. This really classifies as "malware", perhaps even "spyware" to me. And most important it's an unneeded process.

Plus, they're still uploading descriptions and images. If I release a mod, I want to update it when needed, and more important still I want to have full control over it. Whether I spent 4 hours or 40 hours making it, I made it, and I have every right to decide where and how it's presented to the community, even if it's non-profit.