[Jaykobell]

~*~

I couldn't find a topic for new rules and what-have-you, but it's okay, since I think this rule deserves its own topic.

Further to multiple complaints and even members becoming afraid to show their customs, the Staff has found it necessary, at this point, to control customs and their associated design.

Please refer to our rule for more information: [* Of Customs and Designs: Regulations

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE THING THOROUGHLY BEFORE COMMENTING HERE.

We hope that this will help members be more at ease and not as wary of sharing designs and ideas in the future.

If you have any questions or comments right now with respect to this rule, please don't be afraid to post here. You may also post in Help if you wish.

[Kylo]

I feel much more relieved now that this rule is in place. I feel like I can post my designs in my wishlist now without fear of them being stolen. I support this rule 100% and then some.

[SpringsSong]

I agree with Talcen, as well.  I feel a lot safer about posting designs back on my wishlist.

[Shieba]

Maybe it's just me being tired or because the rule thread is so long, but I feel it needs more clarification when it comes to the Blank Canvas thread. Very often, people there say "Just design me some random female Lucain" or "base them off of [real pet]". I'm not really understanding if, say, someone orders a Paragon based on some kind of butterfly, no one else can do this, either, or not. Because I can't really read out of the rule if real pet designs are limited once one person ordered one. Or if randoms that Draiz did for people are off-limits if there were absolutely no specifics given and she basically made them up herself. But my brain isn't really working right now anyway, so maybe it's actually stated there. I need to try again tomorrow, I guess.

[Jaykobell]

If you go though Draiz's Blank Canvas, whatever randoms she ends up making are for that particular person. Unless she has a bank of randoms up for grabs to anyone, the others are made for the person asking. It's the exact same thing as if someone would order from Baal herself. The only difference is that Draiz's 'randoms' are just placeholders. The same thing applies to designs bought from someone's shop in the Bazaar. They're considered "randoms", but if the person BOUGHT it or REQUESTED it, then it becomes theirs, regardless of its 'title' (i.e., custom or random).

As for real animals and bugs, this will have to be judged case by case. There's enough cats out there to create a variety. However, people will have to use basic logic: a red panda is a red panda. You can't copyright a real animal, but in that same vein, each cat is different. Asking for the design of someone's cat (especially when most people get customs of their animals as memorials) would be eligible for an Appeal if the cat designs are really that similar.

Overall, the same logic and questions apply: are the pets similar enough? For the red panda, it's a common color scheme, much like black/white/red.

And again, the rule of thumb is to ask the person. "Hey, I know you have a red panda, but I have a character for one too! Do you mind?" If the person also uses their logic, they'll realize you don't have variety at all in a red panda. There's no way around that design. Evelon even has official Evelon pets based on real animals, like said red panda (the Ailur Kuhna).

[Shieba]

And again, the rule of thumb is to ask the person. "Hey, I know you have a red panda, but I have a character for one too! Do you mind?" If the person also uses their logic, they'll realize you don't have variety at all in a red panda. There's no way around that design. Evelon even has official Evelon pets based on real animals, like said red panda (the Ailur Kuhna).

Yeah, I get this, but what if the person DOES mind, for whatever reason? Like "I wanna have the only red panda on the site!" Especially if the design is not for a Gon or Cain but for a non-breedable, there could be problems. Like...if I decide I want a Fellox looking like a real, normal red fox because it's obvious and someone else already has one and tells me that. What am I to do then?

Same question applies to cosplay pets of fictional characters, by the way - actually even more, because those pets often come with pretty fixed personalities for most people.

[Jaykobell]

Like we've mentioned, even if the person brings this to an Appeal, we can give you (the 'copier') reason. This would be such a case: if the person cannot be reasonable enough to understand that they don't own all the red panda designs on the whole wide internet, then it becomes their problem. If we kept to that logic, Evelon could have the right to prevent its members from having pets based on red pandas solely because of the Ailur Kuhna.

This is why we're saying the rule isn't 'structured'. Each design will need to be judged case by case. The factors cannot be set in stone.

The same thing applies to cosplay pets. You can't copyright... a copyrighted character. Lol. People will have to deal and understand that this isn't something they can copyright.

[Shieba]

Alrighty, awesome, then I don't have to worry about my Felloxes. =D Thanks so much! <3

[Mojave]

So just to clarify on a part of this. I sold my original Greymalkin and Quantum lucain but I'm redesigning them. Since I bought the originals, I still have to tell people I'm redesigning them?

[Jaykobell]

Yes. Regardless of who bought the original design, once you trade that pet, the pet/design really becomes the new owner's. If you don't clarify that you want to redesign them, then the new owner was misinformed and could say that you copied them.

[Shieba]

...So everyone who sold a pet with the intention to redesign it and still hasn't done so must now ask the one they sold it to (or find out in the first place if that person hasn't re-sold it to someone completely different) if they are allowed to redesign the pet they designed in the first place? A lot of people will have a lot of stuff to do then. Wow. How does that work together with that "stuff that has been done until now won't get punished". The selling of the pet has happened before this rule and without the rule being in effect then, people probably didn't ask this in quite a few cases or only stated it in their trading thread without any proof remaining after editing it out. =/ That's kinda bad, I think.

[Cookie]

If you didn't tell them you planned on re-doing them, you left them in the dark and its your own fault you cant re-do it.

[Jaykobell]

In every trade I've been to where the seller wanted to redesign the pet, they always warned me that they would do so.

Trades have nothing to do with it. The concept is keeping the new owner misinformed about your intentions, regardless of this rule or when it came into effect. Informing the other party is only common courtesy, so I'm not sure why you wouldn't warn them beforehand. If you traded a pet and the new owner figured it would be their very own, and then you end up getting a copy, then you misinformed them. I have backed out of trades where people told me they were going to reuse the design. Misinformation is a bad thing to do, and that's not only on Evelon. In everything you do and everywhere you go, keeping the parties informed is always the right thing to do.

If you kept your intentions to yourself in order to avoid having to ask the other person that is, sadly, your own problem. You should always let people know of your intentions, whether you're planning on getting a new version of the pet, etc.

You can still PM those people now, but they are in no way obliged to accept you getting a copy of that pet. You can explain yourself to them and take the course of action you want, but ultimately, the pet is now theirs and so is the design.

[Shieba]

Ah okay then. I got one or two pets where a redesign happened in the past without anyone informing me about it beforehand, so I thought it was a common problem, but if it isn't, then that's good.

[Mojave]

Well I listed both cain under "selling to redesign" I just used them as an example. But I find it rather silly when the person who ordered the pet clearly designed the pet. So I don't agree with that part of it. :\ It's still the creator's design, just a version that was discarded.