Questions Dynamic Drive DHTML scripts- Terms of Use‏

[peng]

Hi Dynamic Drive Team,

I am currently working on the project for one of our clients. basically I need to do a web widget for my client, so other website can embed the widget into their website, so that the other websites can download the widget (js, css files) from parent website(my client website) and display the web widget.The web widget is using stepcarousel from Dynamic Drive to improve the usability. I looked at the Terms of Use on Dynamic Drive. It said

Acceptable:
-Use our DHTML scripts on any personal or commercial web site to aid in its functionality/ usability.
-As a web designer, use our DHTML scripts in your paid projects for your client web sites.
-As a software developer, use our DHTML scripts within a application/ program as part of its interface, such as a CSS menu being used as the program's navigation interface. The program itself can be distributable.

In all cases above, the credit notice within the script must remain intact and unaltered.

I think the web widget will fall in the Acceptable clause, specially on the third clause. but I not very sure the Not acceptable clause, special second clause, Could you confirm use the Dynamic Drive DHTML scripts as part of widget is ok.

Not Acceptable:
-Put our DHTML scripts on another script library or webmaster type site for others to download.
-Use our DHTML scripts in any type of service or application whereby our codes are part of the product offerings themselves.
-Put our DHTML scripts in any other types of medium for direct redistribution, such as a CD-ROM that consists of, but not limited to, webmaster codes and web graphics.

Thanks
Peng

[djr33]

The decision is based on whether the DD script is part of the content of the product (generally ok) or part of the features/options of the product or is (without deconstructing the code) available through your product (not ok).

In other words, the goal is to prevent DD scripts from being distributed from other locations so that anyone who wants one of the scripts will download it from this website. This does not prohibit embedding a script within something, as long as it is not thereby actively distributing the script as a separate thing.

Some examples of potential products
Acceptable: You create a webpage and sell it to your client. The page includes a DD script.
Unacceptable: You create a web design program that generates menus and other things using DD scripts. This is especially unacceptable if the DD scripts are a significant amount of the reason someone would buy/download your program.


It sounds like your project is a close call, and it sounds to me like what you're doing should be ok, but ddadmin will make the final decision.


Here's how I look at it: you are using the DD script as part of your website. Then you are allowing others to borrow that part of your website. You are not suggesting that they take that part and use it for any other purpose. In that way, you are just using the script and allowing others to share that use, but not actually redistributing it as an independent script.


Of course if you can link back to this site it will be a nice trade. But let's see what ddadmin has to say.

[peng]

Hi there
There is a bit more information about our widget.

The widget is a small component for display on third party websites. All of the resources used by this widget including images, javascript and the stepcarousel library are served directly by our webserver. Stepcarousel is only used to create the basic navigation within the widget.

The widget is a small piece of HTML and no components are made available for download and nothing is provided for redistribution.

You could think of the widget as being very similar to an ad inside an iframe, so your "borrow" analogy is appropriate.

Because the widget is very small we will be unlikely to be able to include a link back to Dynamic Drive but you can be assured that the credit notice will remain in place.

Thanks

[djr33]

I see now. If you are not actually distributing the scripts at all, then I don't think there will be a problem with it. In fact "borrow" might be too strong here: it's more like "reflect" or "echo", just viewing your site from within another site.
ddadmin should confirm this soon.

[ddadmin]

Yep, this is well within acceptable usage of our scripts. :)