I was wondering what the general rules are for getting permission from an author to use a mod in something i'm making. I'm currently in the process of creating a new Seyda Neen expansion mod and would like to permanantly integrate the following mods into it: (I saw these on PES but I couldn't find the proper PES forum to ask this question. Of course this could also apply to Nexus mods so I guess it's still appropriate being a general question anyway)

Note To Hrisskar by Danjb
Vodunius Nuccius Extended - Original mod by G.B. Jackson ;edited by Gilyan Andrethi

I left messages in both comments sections and sent Danjb an email asking permission. It seems he hasn't logged into PES in over a year. G.B. and Gilyan didn't have a means of sending them a private message listed and neither has logged in in over 3 years. In my opinion, these mods should have been included in vanilla Morrowind since they deal with situations where it seems very possible there's a quest involved but it was left out for whatever reason. I've looked through the Seyda Neen mods and so far, these are the only two i've found that i'd like to add to my mod. I also plan on adding one of my own mods to this expansion, Menace Of The Deep, which takes place just outside of Seyda Neen.

So, back to my original question. Is there some sort of statute of limitations on how long I have to wait to get a response? If I don't hear back in a few weeks or a month or so, can I just use it? Obviously, if the description specifically states I can or can't use a mod, i'd honor that request. I have full intention on crediting the proper authors for their work.

You could always re-create the mods in question on your own to avoid the whole permission issue if the original authors are unavailable.

Well, it always comes down to what to do in the case where the author did not address permission for re-use in the readme and they can no longer be contacted. Some folks say the mod should only be used if you are given explicit permission, others say you should be able to use it if you give proper credit.

BTW, Danjb has posted here recently, so you might try a PM.

@ Exorince: That seems to me like i'd just be taking someone else's idea and calling it my own. Besides, some of the more complicated stuff like scripting isn't something i'm good at and i'd rather not take the time to re-create it if I can help it.

@ john.moonsugar: That's true, John. I'm not one to just assume if I haven't heard from anyone, i'd just go about using it anyway. I know this stuff takes time and effort, and I wouldn't want to be blatantly ignorant and disrespect the author or their work. Good to know Danjb has been around. I'll definitely send him a pm.

Edit: I just sent Danjb a messgage through here asking for permission. His last active log in was today, so yeah, he's definitely around.

Well, my personal opinion is that the default position on re-use ought to be it's okay if the Readme didn't say anything to the contrary and the author can't be contacted, as long as you give full credit and offer to remove the mod should the author ever return and object. But even just a few years ago, there were some modders who were very vocal that they felt re-use permission absolutely had to be explicitly given, no exceptions. It seems like that opinion is less prevalent these days now that the Morrowind modding scene has cooled off, but there's no way for me to confirm that impression.

http://www.gamesas.com/user/722225-g-b-jackson/ Last Active Today, 08:28 AM

If someone release a mod long time ago and later left the community similar to what Pozzo (author of the Rise of the House Telvanni mod) did or the permissions from the author stated that he/she allow you to do whatever you want to do then do it and credit the original author for the original mod in your readme when you release the mod, but AFAIK you don't need to obtain permission for personal usage though.

http://mw.modhistory.com/permissions

Ok. I sent G.B. Jackson a message too. I searched for Gilyan and didn't find them here.