[REQUEST] LCARS (Star Trek) inspired skin for XBMC possible? Any volunteers?

@NickyZero and killarny, please let us know if you two (and later maybe others as well) would like to coolaberate in the making of a LCARS open source skin and you would maybe then like to join the official XBMC Skinning Project (a sub-project of XBMC for skinners and their open source skins).

As long you agree to not violate any copyrights and ask before you modify anyone else's skin in the SVN (or wait until you have been asked) then register accounts on SourceForge.net if you do not already have one and PM me the usernames so I can add you to the project with full write access to the SVN and the trackers (for bugs, patches and requests).

maybe killarny too, then all three could

Personally, I'd love to submit my work to the repository, but I wanted to get it in a more usable state first (at least, for more than one resolution).

Now that you mention copyrights, I'm not sure about the font and sounds that I'm using - I downloaded them from one of the lcars resource sites out there, but I don't know what the real license status is on them. However, all my graphics are original.

Killarny Wrote:Personally, I'd love to submit my work to the repository, but I wanted to get it in a more usable state first (at least, for more than one resolution).

Now that you mention copyrights, I'm not sure about the font and sounds that I'm using - I downloaded them from one of the lcars resource sites out there, but I don't know what the real license status is on them. However, all my graphics are original.

I Agree with regards to getting it into a Stable state first, As for copyrights, Don't worry I have written (well, emailed) consent from the owner of lcarscom.net to use any resources from his site, on the condition we show him the final result

Forgive Double Post (This forum really needs an edit button!)

But a thought occurs to me,

Seeing other people talking about cloning existing skins, and the legallities (sp?) of it; Can we actually make & release an LCARS based skin?

Although I have been given consent from the owner of LCARSCOM (see previous posts) we don't have the consent of Paramount, who legally own Star Trek and therefore LCARS in name and probably design?

Can someone clear this up before we end up in some kinda law-suit?

That's a good point. I would hope that these types of efforts are seen as homage rather than infringement, but who knows.

I remember similar concerns over OSX related skins a long time ago; didn't Apple try to sue a bunch of people for making OSX visual styles for Windows? I assume that Apple ended up losing that battle, judging from all the OSX skins that people made (and still make).

Perhaps this situation is similar?

As far as I can find out, no one has ever been sued for cloning/replicating LCARS, ...without trekkies (devoted StarTrek fans) the StarTrek franchise would not be as big as it is today, so I am sure that Paramount do not mind people cloning/replicating LCARS for non-profit purposes like skinning free software.

Like I wrote here before: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=110

Quote:on a side note, most non-software companies will probably give you their permission to use their images/pictures if they used as non-commercial promo for their products. Like for example, I'm sure that car manufacturers, comics publishers, or movie producers/directors, etc. have would be glad if you use their pictures in a skin as long as it just promotes their products in a positive way.

Gamester17 Wrote:As far as I can find out, no one has ever been sued for cloning/replicating LCARS, ...without trekkies (devoted StarTrek fans) the StarTrek franchise would not be as big as it is today, so I am sure that Paramount do not mind people cloning/replicating LCARS for non-profit purposes like skinning free software.

Like I wrote here before: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=110

Cheers for that Gamester, If anyone from Paramount starts on me, I'll be sure to send them your way

Sure please do, but don't worry, big company lawers always send a nicely frased cease and desist e-mail/letter first, kindly asking you to stop before the take any legal actions. We only had that happen once before, and that was for the HP media center clone skin a few years back, (note that it was a commercial media center software which was was cloned which is a huge difference).

Yeah as long as you not actually directly ripping the graphics and sounds from their videos and other media they have released and making them yourself or getting them from other people who have done so its useally fine.
Take the mc360 skin for example Microsoft had no problem with it as long as we made it all ourselves and didn't just rip their images from the 360 hdd