Terms of Use

[Digital Jedi]

Not really looking for a script, but I had a question about the Terms of Use, specifically with regard to the Acceptable/Not Acceptable criterion.

Does designing and offering skins for forum software, like vBulletin, that utilize Dynamic Drive scripts (with the copyright intact), whether it's a paid or free skin, count as direct distribution (Not Acceptable) or as a web designer utilizing the scripts for clients (Acceptable)?

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.

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.

[jscheuer1]

Sounds good to me. The catch here is how the script is offered, which depends upon the meaning of 'part of', which I admit seems a little vague in the various sections of the TOS you quoted.

'part of' is fine when the credit remains intact, viewable in the source code of all pages using the script(s) and the script is just one component in an overall system, most of which you designed.

'part of' is not OK when the script is offered more or less 'as is' as a part of a collection of scripts and/or other codes, each offered separately via whatever means/media, etc. intended as a library (much like the scripts and other code libraries that are offered in aggregate on the main Dynamic Drive site), from which people are intended to pick and choose which individual script(s), and only which individual script(s) to use).

You can have an involved system which utilizes the script, and offer that system for use. You cannot redistribute the script as only the script itself.

So basically, if your various skins each contain more than just one or more Dynamic Drive scripts and do not easily lend themselves to letting folks pick one skin or another solely for the use of the Dynamic Drive script(s) used by that skin, you're fine.

Even more simply:

Each skin must have more to offer than just the Dynamic Drive scripts.

[ddadmin]

John hit it right on the nail with the following:

Even more simply:
Each skin must have more to offer than just the Dynamic Drive scripts.

The usage terms is very liberal, and is mainly to prevent the scripts from being redistributed on a competing site or service. If you're including DD scripts on paid skins that are then sold and redistributed, that's fine, as long as the script is part of the skin, not the skin itself. The same goes for web site templates, product add-ons, plugins etc.

[Digital Jedi]

Thanks for clarifying that for me. I only wanted to use one or two scripts specifically on skins that were entirely my own design otherwise. Mainly just enhancements to the postbit. But I wasn't sure if was just reading into the Terms of Use to my own benefit. That's actually wonderful news. Thanks again.