Time to get serious about creating a Dropbox or similar method for uploading/downloading Scenery Files

  • I remember reading that one or two of our members had some capacity to handle these large files. Well, it is now time to figure out who wants to step forward and get the ball rolling. Many of our users would like to share, trade, or just use some of the scenery files that we have built. I have almost all of the Southeast USA (along with dozens of airport designators) and Oahu that I am willing to upload.

    Some of us have specialties that do not include generating scenery but we can contribute in many other ways. This will help moving the user generated airports, 3d objects, etc forward.

    I assume it should be password protected to keep the hackers at bay, and it will take some time away from building scenery and flying the airplanes but, I sure would personally like to see some other garden spots around the world in AF2.

    Jeff will probably insist that we include some sort of disclaimer that we are not associated in any way with IPACS and such and this is fine with me.

    Let the games begin.

    Regards,

    Ray

  • I really hate to be the barer of bad news here but we are also not comfortable allowing anyone to post links to these sites that host scenery imagery that may be copyrighted. We take copyrighted material seriously, and until we can guarantee that none of this is illegal we will have to unfortunately shut the doors on this for now. Please just give us more time to verify things.

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • I really hate to be the barer of bad news here but we are also not comfortable allowing anyone to post links to these sites that host scenery imagery that may be copyrighted. We take copyrighted material seriously, and until we can guarantee that none of this is illegal we will have to unfortunately shut the doors on this for now. Please just give us more time to verify things.

    Just an opinion:

    Please please, check onto what constitutes "derivative work". Derivative work is a separate entity from the original work and belongs to the author of the derivative work.

    There is a minimum that makes it "derivative" and I believe the IPACS treatment could make it so.

    Thus if someone were to use images (that seem to be in public domain, or at least non commercial domain and processed through a process that doesn't reserve copyright (i.e. IPACS software transformation (plugin or equivalent)) and that has been used in accordance. Then the new derivative work, if it is so, belongs to the creator of the work (the one applying the transformation to the material), and thus can be disposed at will by such creator.

    Of course this doesn't protect from risk of lawsuit, as nothing really does, but at least it would be a legal leg to stand on if one wishes to do so.

    And I'm certainly not trying to tell you guys what to do or not, just check it out and decide for yourselves.

    This is a touchy and complex subject so IPACS position is perfectly understandable.

    For USGS data, there is zero issue as this clearly states:

    https://www2.usgs.gov/visual-id/credit_usgs.html

    I quote: "U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) information resides in the public domain and may be used without restriction" and they expand on credit to be given by case.

    Now keep in mind that is for use "as is" meaning no transformation whatsoever: I download and use exactly as downloaded.

    If I use a software to transform (photoshop or otherwise) then that software content creation notice rules anyway, etc.

    Michael

  • When other people have wanted to share such huge files (such as the ginormous X-plane zzmesh) the creators successfully resorted to torrents. That might be an option here, as well.

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  • I just solved half the equation. I purchased a one-year subscription to mailbigfile Pro, ran by a UK based company that manages moving very big files around. I can upload up to 4GB files with no limit on the number of files and then provide a download link to whom I wish to have that link. I get reports on who and how often the files are downloaded. near.

    It cost a little more than a dollar a month using their 1/2 special that I just used today. 1 year/$14.40 USD.

    Regards,

    Ray

  • I just solved half the equation. I purchased a one-year subscription to mailbigfile Pro, ran by a UK based company that manages moving very big files around. I can upload up to 4GB files with no limit on the number of files and then provide a download link to whom I wish to have that link. I get reports on who and how often the files are downloaded. near.

    It cost a little more than a dollar a month using their 1/2 special that I just used today. 1 year/$14.40 USD.

    Regards,

    Ray

    near = neat.

  • Please, please rethink this! IPAC's blanket refusal to provide even a simple link to a potential warehouse site hosting hobbyist-user created non-commercial add-ons is not reasonable. For years the flight simming community has thrived on such add-ons, allowing users to create sceneries, objects, and aircraft that greatly enhance the myriads of currently available and even no longer produced sims. The big boy sims all have users dedicated to enhancing their enjoyment of the hobby, and if Aerofly is to join their ranks, they need to get on the ball here. Currently, there are only a paltry 54 aircraft repaint and scenery models available, compared to the thousands of goodies available for those other sims. In fact IPACS is aggressively encouraging user created add-ons by producing wonderful software such as GeoConvert and the many default aircraft Repaint Kits. Why refuse to provide a simple link to potential sites where those users can share their hard work? And expand the user base for Aerofly?

    I fully understand the desire to avoid copyright and trademark conflicts involved in using third party earth images or airline logos. However, in most cases hobbyist created aircraft using commercial logos are considered to be no more than artistic renditions of simulated aircraft. And the USGS images often used to create higher res terrain are by and large infringement free. There is little chance that the commercial creators of such images or logos will see these non-commercial creations as little more than good advertising for their airline, etc. And in the worst case scenario all they might require is to remove the content from whatever site.

    Has IPACS or any of our users considered putting Aerofly user creations on the mega sim file sites such as Avsim or Flightsim? Those sites have tons of user created add-ons for all of the big players. Both of those sites have detailed, robust requirements for uploading software, and have handled most of the infringement concerns that need to be addressed. IPACS doesn't have to host their own site, but they need to have some way to let users know that such things exist, and that would be a simple link to another site. Providing this address or link to a users web browser should be no more an infringement than providing that web address in written form (as would appear in a newspaper article). The provision of this type of information is similar to providing a library user with the Library of Congress location for a book already in the library. The address or link itself is pure information, and is not protected by copyright or by any other intellectual property regime.

  • This sounds quite negative, as if we wanted to ban everything, that is not what we intended with our statements. Yes, please share your user made scenery with us but make sure that they are no copyright infringements. We can't check every image that you used and this makes it difficult for us to decide which downloads would be legal and which wouldn't. We just don't want to get into a law suit for sharing copyrighted material, that is all, and the best way to allow that is not to upload such material in the first place. To my knowledge USGS images should be okay but there are other image sources that may not allow sharing of their images, even in a processed format, who knows. I think if you share your contents with us and include your source and their policy for the image copyright clauses we could easily allow uploads for user made scenery using all kinds of satellite images.

  • Folks, thanks for the honest response here. I didn't mean for my message to be negative, but I am concerned that you really do appear to be shutting off or discouraging a goldmine of opportunities for the Aerofly user community. When you do your research on this, you should discover that there is little liability danger in simply linking to another site. Most infringement concerns are related to commercial products such as videos and music recordings, not at all the kinds of things that you already have on your site, or those on the mega flight simulation library file sites like Avsim or Flightsim. And has anyone approached those very well regulated organizations to see if they would include Aerofly creations? They have been in this biz for a long time, and you could learn a lot just looking at their extensive posting requirements.

    In any case, please check out the opinions of Harvard University's Digital Media Law Project, one of the oldest and most respected Internet think tanks at:

    http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/li…ghted-materials

    I wish the IPACS team nothing but the best, because you folks ARE the best!

  • A look at how other sites in the community have handled this in the last few years: http://forums.x-pilot.com/files/file/321…oreal-underlay/

    Devons rig

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  • what surprises me most is that ipacs has not dealt with the question of user content delivery in the last 6 years.

    It became clear how fast users would interact with the development process at the time aerofly1 got live.

    From my point of view a central upload platform is expected to succeed over external dropboxes to prevent chaos.

    That requires large data storage and reliable, fast handling of the content trade.

    just thinking loud:

    I suggest a 10 dollar ticket, which can be purchased over paypal or steam, and which grants full access to the AEROFLY KIOSK,

    where content trade is free but quality gouverned. This ticket is linked to your product purchase code. (is there one?)

    the kiosk is basicly the up and download mart, by users for users content, and is off the main DLC line in Steam.

    just like where the livery paints are located in this forum.

    What happens to the 10 dollars:

    This service payment funds the large data storage.

    In numbers: 2000users x 10 = USD 20k, that covers a server for years.

    user content is free.