What do you do…

[Wing_Z]

You have developed a freeware package, which has proved fairly popular with a few thousand downloads.
A payware developer subsequently releases a package which can interface with yours, albeit with a few modifications on your part.
A freeware developer in support of the payware crowd, contacts you.
He is doing a package similar to, but with a wider scope than yours, and wants to use some (not all) of your stuff in it.

Do you say:

• OK, take out what you want and use it, I’ll just abandon my package in the face of your newer one
• No you can’t break up the package, but you may have use of it in an updated installer interface
• Get lost

What do you do…

[paiken]

Quite a dilemma. Do you give away your "intellectual property", i.e. your creative talents and skull sweat, or do you ask for a "license fee" or something similar? I cannot make the decision for you. You may consider asking the payware developer for a free copy of their completed product, along with full credit for your work. Having dabbled in creating scenery for MSFS, I can fully appreciate your position knowing the amount of research and learning to use the SDK and whatever other tools you need to create are involved. You realize, of course, the compliment they are paying you by wanting to use parts of your work. Good luck with your decision. Just make sure it's something you are comfortable with.

[Roger]

Very tricky and I hope you can resolve it to your satisfaction. Full credit in the read-me is the least you could ask.

[Milton Shupe]

Depending on the parts used, are there any copyright or software licensing issues if your stuff is used for payware?

As a builder/contributor, you should get compensated the same as any other contributor/modeler/designer for the project.

[Wing_Z]

That's the difficult part... it is to be used in a freeware project, which in turn complements a payware project.
So there is no compensation involved.
I do of course have copyright on my work.

The dilemma I have is that to withhold the stuff sounds petty.
But if I hand it over, it will at least damage, at worst kill, my "product" of many, many hours of labour!

And I am not sure that the new project is actually better, although it has wider scope.
So the end user experience may be compromised if I bury the original package.
Interesting conundrum, eh? Freeware can sometimes be more difficult to deal with than hard cash transactions...:isadizzy:

[Mickey D]

Sounds a tricky one to me. Put simply if interfacing with your freeware package adds to the value of the payware package and also involves the use of your copyright material then you are entitled to a royalty per sale. If the payware developer is unwilling then just say no. There's no pettyness involved. Keep all emails for future reference.
You could also consider withdrawing your freeware package from all sites and sell it on Pilot Shop could be a nice little earner.
It's a hard world out here.

[Sieggie]

All freeware products complement a payware product. If the new project is intended to work with a specific payware product only then that should not effect the need for your current project for any that do not use the payware product in question. If you published your freeware for the benefit of the community as a whole and the individual who is creating another freeware project with the same intent, how does that interfere with your original intent. Unless you feel the payware company is in someway involve with the freeware author trying to steal your intellectual property for their financial gain, I would not have a problem with it. Maybe you should ask him to share his new stuff with you so you can together make something bigger and better then either could separately.

Just my 2 cents.

Dave

[Meshman]

The dilemma I have is that to withhold the stuff sounds petty.
But if I hand it over, it will at least damage, at worst kill, my "product" of many, many hours of labour!

And I am not sure that the new project is actually better, although it has wider scope.
So the end user experience may be compromised if I bury the original package.

I get the impression that you believe everyone will be using "that" payware product, so your work becomes redundant in some way? But there may be/ will be plenty of people who will still want to use your work, thus it still has added value, even as payware.

Whether the freeware project is "better" or not overall, you should ask if it will be better as a whole with or without your work?

You have the ability to control what parts of your work is utilized and if you were to agree to a specific listing of work (scenery objects?), then you can create a sub-set of your work that can be used in the other freeware project. You have the ability to dictate what credits are to be made for using your work. You could also dictate whether you received a complimentary copy of the payware project or some other similar future project. That's all up to you.

Your complete project can still be available for those who want to enjoy it and pieces of your work can be used and enjoyed as part of the other freeware project.

But get everything you want in writing before turning over any of your work, just to avoid any "misunderstandings"!

[crashaz]

Often have crossed that line between freeware and payware. For myself... I enjoy doing it... enjoy seeing people enjoy the work.

I personally have just given permission to use as long as the Virtual Navy was credited or myself personally depending on the work.

Never have seen myself as a payware developer ....as in a 'normal' year I make more in my IT consulting job than I would as a payware developer. It is fun when it is a hobby so I don't want to take that away from myself... and I get to build what I want.

Still keep my hand in helping out payware developers if I can help them enhance their products with some scenery and I their interests fit mine.

Payware development is no way to make a living LOL.... most of the guys do it on the side.

[Wing_Z]

Thank you all for your thoughts, which helped the process...
I think we may have agreement on a solution that provides both new and existing users with the best experience.

I will donate my bits to the new project, which will save them some work.
The new project will in turn be structured so that the existing package or parts of it can be plugged in, as the user requires.

This means new users can get a one-stop product with wider scope.
But it also allows existing users (or new Power Users) to choose either or both of the packages.

Hopefully this can be implemented, and so my hours of labour won't go down the gurgler, with the new release.