But... no comments on this?

[KarmaPirate]

do you really believe that EA will sue paysites ?? are you dumbs or what?!

Paysites are much more profitable to EA than you think! Fansites give more success to their game.. if players have to play only with original content of the game it wouldn’t be so popular!

And this is much true for paysites.. you can say what you want on them but you must admit that their custom content improves a lot the game.. people continue to play the sims 2 and continue to buy add on and other stuff... if EA was against paysites do you really think that they would wait your letter to do something  :roll:

paysites are doing money with EA, EA is doing money with paysites and everyone is happy!

Speak grown-up or STFU!

[darkangel]

do you really believe that EA will sue paysites ?? are you dumbs or what?!

Paysites are much more profitable to EA than you think! Fansites give more success to their game.. if players have to play only with original content of the game it wouldn’t be so popular!

And this is much true for paysites.. you can say what you want on them but you must admit that their custom content improves a lot the game.. people continue to play the sims 2 and continue to buy add on and other stuff... if EA was against paysites do you really think that they would wait your letter to do something  :roll:

paysites are doing money with EA, EA is doing money with paysites and everyone is happy!

You're basically saying that only paysites make awesome stuff. Which isn't true. Peggy's meshes have tons of gaps and holes. Ratproductions, simplystyling, Nouk,...many of the great sites are free. And better.

[alia]

Personally, I don't care too much if EA will sue anybody, or whatever else will do or not; to me the important fact is that my (and most likely ours) opinion on the issue is officially supported.
I'll repeat: officially. Period.

And that's why I think we should at some point post that letter from EA to the  PMBD front page. If EA doesn't do squat about paysites, we could at least use it as a proof that we are not the ones breaking the laws.

[JFederated]

I wondered if a bigger wake-up call to EA might be if paysites *were* hurting their bottom line.  What about organizing a boycott of the H&M Stuff Pack?  The Stuff Packs are closest content-wise to paysite materials, and they're obviously profitable, or the Maxians wouldn't keep churning them out.

Not that my measly 100 bucks means much to EAxis, but I've yet to buy any stuff pack ever.  I can get better, more, quality, and variety for free or for far cheaper - at HolySimoly, for example (pre-Booty).  Or, great gods, all the free true game fixes from Pescado, et al.  And, overwhelmingly in my experience, user made CC doesn't fUxxor my game as some stuffpacks are rumored to do.

EAxis is good at hurting themselves, but really - a disapproving stance on paysites is a small thing that would ultimately behoove them, if only in a 'siding w/the community at large' kind of way.

[PsychoticMess]

[/lurk mode]

  I can't believe EA actually wrote that! I mean, come on, for the time it's been going on, you'd think they'd know about paysites... they make it sound like they had no clue.
This is awesome, though! Ha ha ha, there has to be something wrong in the world when the file-sharing pirates are the ones doing the right thing...  :wink: Down with paysites!

[lurk mode, ha ha ha]

[jicour]

I wondered if a bigger wake-up call to EA might be if paysites *were* hurting their bottom line.  What about organizing a boycott of the H&M Stuff Pack?  The Stuff Packs are closest content-wise to paysite materials, and they're obviously profitable, or the Maxians wouldn't keep churning them out.

I can't even remember how many times I've gotten shitty content that was from a paysite (from the booty, of course). If I had paid for it, I would have had to ask someone to kick me in the ass for being so fucking stupid. So instead, I just deleted it. The only good stuff, that is, worth paying for, that I've ever gotten, was from MTS2 or Holy Simoly. Stuff Packs? '''Shudder'''

[Chinchillagrl]

[/lurk mode]

  I can't believe EA actually wrote that! I mean, come on, for the time it's been going on, you'd think they'd know about paysites... they make it sound like they had no clue.
This is awesome, though! Ha ha ha, there has to be something wrong in the world when the file-sharing pirates are the ones doing the right thing...  :wink: Down with paysites!

[lurk mode, ha ha ha]

I think the thing that we need to remember is that EA, Inc. is HUGE! The Sims is not their only game. Why would their corporate legal team care to even take a glace at a sims2 fan site or even visit the BBS.
Trust me, they don't have time to monitor every fan site for all of the games EA owns. They wont do anything unless we make sure they know about the problem and we wont stop until they fix it.

[Broomhilda]

Broom, WAAAAAAAAAY back in the beginning of TS1, TSR was free, and asked to be listed. Some Maxian credentialed them, and NO ONE has ever LOOKED again.

Well, no one with Maxis, anyway.

Remember that EA has now bought Maxis, and much of what we get from tech support/the BBS is Maxian. (Gotta love corporate mergers.) Howver, the EA guys - who haven't been hands-on with the fansites at all - have NO IDEA (or didn't, anyway) that this was so pervasive, or that TSR is so big.

We're providing them a wake-up call.

By the way...while EA is a US-based company, they have legal departments all over the world, in at least two dozen countries, including Sweden. I am confident that should action need to be taken, they have the necessary legal eagles around the world to deal with variations in copyright law.


And contrary to popular belief, EA does not see a PENNY from paysites. There is no conspiracy from EA's POV. (However, I wouldn't put it past some Maxians who are paysite supporters....there's something fishy abuot some of the answers about paysites we get from them.)

If paysites die...maybe we lose a little content...that which we don't already have in the booty...but when is the last time a paysite creator REALLY put out something we couldnt' live without? Maybe Caravan's Arcan set...or the Charmed men's set from confide at TSR....but there isn't much. (And if Buntah has to close, well wah-fucking-wah!)

I remember when TSR was free, but when they put the link on the new TS2 website, why didn't anyone check it?  I reported it, but I have no idea if it will do any good. Maybe if everyone went over there and clicked report this site it might help too.

[MoonDragon]

What I was asking is if there was anything undeniably official to end this war once and for all.  Why I ask is that I have been sitting on some pay files I've fixed for my own uses and want to share but I don't want the drama that traditionally goes with it until I know EA is on my side.  (My hoped contribution to the war effort:  Outdo the paysites by improving their own stuff.)

This aside, my primary concern isn't if EA sues the paysite owners or if they get nailed for tax dodging.  It would be fantastic if both of those things happened ... I'd love to see their bad karma bite them in their asses.  What matters most to me is restoring as much of the community spirit of friendship, sharing and respect that was prevalent during the first incarnation of the game as possible.

I created things for the original game.  I had my little site and found a group of other creators to make friends with.  It was about making art and having fun doing it back then.  It also felt good to get emails or have notes left in my guestbook like, "Thank you for sharing this.  It is just what I needed for my game."  Because just like with Christmas the fun comes from knowing your gifts are well received.  It was nice to be able to go to my favorite mesher and have him make something for me just because he liked sharing and helping people share too.  None of my old friends seem to be around anymore, (if they are then they don't use the same names anyway,) but I'm betting that they left the community and chose not to create for The Sims 2 for pretty much the same reason I don't share what I make anymore.  The community is at war and is a mockery of everything we did back then.

Whatever happened to the fileshare friendly banners everyone used to have on their sites?  It seems like a miracle to see those anymore and it makes me a little sad when I do see them because they are reminders of what has been lost.

I am thankful for PMBD for taking this stance in things.  Not only are paysites illegal but they have killed the spirit of creating to share.  All of these long drawn out TOS I see even on most free sites which prohibit mesh redistribution ... back in the day most of those sites would just peter out because skinners would choose a redistributable mesh over a non-redistributable one nine times out of ten and players wanted the most mileage out of their meshes as possible.  Paysites have bred a mentality of toy hording which has regrettably become acceptable.

Killing paysites is only the beginning.

[JFederated]

What I was asking is if there was anything undeniably official to end this war once and for all.  Why I ask is that I have been sitting on some pay files I've fixed for my own uses and want to share but I don't want the drama that traditionally goes with it until I know EA is on my side.  (My hoped contribution to the war effort:  Outdo the paysites by improving their own stuff.)[/quote]

'Scuse me, I just 'squeed' a little.  That's a favorite dream of mine - a bunch of experienced artists in concerted effort fix a bunch of paycrap, like Peggy's poleaxed hairdos, and offer it up w/before and afters, putting the point on what kind of ripoffs so many of these pay files are...it's a greedy dream, as I couldn't mesh or even recolor my way out of a burning building.

Make them right and give them away and enjoy the show that's sure to follow.

As for the rest of your post, Moon - well said.  I also remember TS1 days and seeing paysites pop up and feeling quite disappointed about it, like something ended.  Or got terribly sick.  The mercenary will only ever be divisive in a community that only ever shares a hobby.

Bless the Booty.

[Heinel]

What I was asking is if there was anything undeniably official to end this war once and for all.  Why I ask is that I have been sitting on some pay files I've fixed for my own uses and want to share but I don't want the drama that traditionally goes with it until I know EA is on my side.  (My hoped contribution to the war effort:  Outdo the paysites by improving their own stuff.)

People over at SFV had already been doing that.  If you're ready to release anything, that's an already-established outlet for you.

[Broomhilda]

I know this is off topic, but I was sitting here thinking about the first time I ran into a paysite. It was TSR. I didn't know very many other places to get stuff and I was so sad. It went from upload all your stuff free for everyone, to now pay for all that stuff you uploaded. :evil:

[dorquemada]

Does it amuse anyone else that one of the reasons EA might be so hyper aware of the paysite issue is because of paysite owners and their lackeys bombarding them for the last few months about protecting their paysite content from us?

I'd be very happy, warm and fuzzy if it was indeed a case, because it'd be  a tremendously, mind-bogglingly stupid thing to do - and paysites & stupid should belong together.   :twisted:

[roguesimmer]

Response (GM Fenris) 05/18/2007 11:46 AM
Yes, running a paysite featuring content for the Sims 2 is considered to be a violation of both the Electronic Arts Terms of Service and copyright law. This includes both content that is sold directly and content that is offered as part of a subscription service. Additionally, the intent behind providing these tools to the Sims 2 community was to promote the sharing of content, not commercial activity.

All I can say is, it's about fucking time!  I am so sick of seeing paysite lovers dodge the issue, and come down like a pack of rabid dogs when someone dares to hint that it's wrong to have a paysite.  Let's see how they dodge this one, eh?

I wonder, too, if this will cause people to STFU about file sharing in general.  I'm not saying it's ok to share without giving credit to the creator, or to claim someone else's stuff as your own.  It's not.  I do, however, get a little weary of hearing about people who take down their sites (or remove their creations from sites such as MTS2), and then, because of their no-sharing policy, you're not allowed in most places to publicly request having those items emailed to you.  I really don't see the problem in letting people continue to enjoy items that were previously available.  What's the harm in saying "share however you like... just let people know who made it"?

Back on topic:  If EA actually follows through and goes after paysites, I hope TSR is the first to fall.  That site has been a thorn in my side since I first joined the Sims community... seeing things I liked, only to realize it was inaccessible to freebies only members.  Fuckers.  I take great pleasure in plundering from the TSR booty.   :twisted:

[Jojoba]

Back on topic:  If EA actually follows through and goes after paysites, I hope TSR is the first to fall.  That site has been a thorn in my side since I first joined the Sims community... seeing things I liked, only to realize it was inaccessible to freebies only members.  Fuckers.  I take great pleasure in plundering from the TSR booty.   :twisted:

Ah me too...would love for TSR to be the first to go.
And then Peggysims
And then WorldSims (I would like to see ManagerJosh dig his way out of that)
And then darling Carla Niven

Off topic: if they did go free magicly over night, would anyone download their stuff? I used to really want it...now after plundering the booty, I dont really want it...most of it is quite bad and I delete it  :?