Bethesda has recently launched Fallout 4 mods for the Xbox One, making the mods no longer exclusive for the PC. With the mods, gamers can add to and make improvements to the open-world RPG at no cost.
However, what should be a celebrated development for console gaming has already been tainted, with some users stealing mods created by other users and passing them off as their own.
There have been several reports, including a thread on online forum Reddit, that talk about how users are taking mods, or parts of them, from the PC version of Fallout 4 and uploading them into the Creation Kit for the Xbox One. The users do not credit the original creators of the mods, and in a certain case, even has the user asking for donations for the stolen mod.
The news has apparently reached Bethesda, who justly sided with the true creators of the mods. In a post in the official Bethesda community forums, the company said that it is taking such reports of stealing seriously, and that it will look to protect the rights of mod authors.
Bethesda urged mod creators who have seen their work stolen to file a takedown request under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The company, however, noted that only the creators of the mods are allowed to file such requests, and not other well-meaning users who have seen cases of stealing. For such instances, it would be best for users to instead contact the authors of the stolen mod to inform them about what happened.
Bethesda detailed on the forum post the things that mod creators need to compile in a letter to be sent to the legal department of Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media by e-mail. Included in the list are the identification of the copyrighted work that was stolen, a URL to the material that needs to be taken down and the mod author's contact details.
Reactions to the process revealed by Bethesda, however, are mixed. While gamers applaud Bethesda's drive to protect the rights of mod authors, the long list of requirements needed to file DMCA takedown requests could be too difficult to complete.
Nevertheless, with the threat of being served takedown requests, users stealing the work of others would hopefully begin thinking twice about passing off mods that they stole as their own.
For gamers that have not yet tried Fallout 4 mods on their Xbox One, Tech Times has previously published a guide on how to get started. Adding mods to Fallout 4 for the Xbox One involves making an official Bethesda.net account, selecting the mod to be used and loading it up to the game.
