Along with Bethesda's launch of Fallout 4 mods for the game's version for the Xbox One came incidents where mods created by users for the PC were stolen by other users.
The mods, or in some cases part of them, were uploaded into the Xbox One Creation Kit and then uploaded and passed off as their own. The users did not credit the original creators of the mods, and in some cases even asked for donations for a stolen mod.
Bethesda, of course, is siding with the original creators. In the latest update to the Creation Kit, Bethesda has applied the requirement for those looking to upload Fallout 4 mods for consoles to have Bethesda.net accounts linked to Steam.
The requirement of a Steam-linked account will give Bethesda another way to track mods that have been stolen from other users, as well as a means to enforce sanctions on those that do.
In light of the issue, Bethesda previously urged the original creators of mods to send in takedown requests for stolen work under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Only the actual creators of mods can file for such a request, so gamers who spot stolen work should report it to the mod's creator, who should then file the takedown request.
Bethesda detailed the requirements for a complete takedown request that will be sent by e-mail to ZeniMax Media, which is the developer's parent company.
Reactions to Bethesda's proposed process to address the situation, however, were mixed. While the company is being applauded for its stance in siding with mod developers and its efforts to protect their rights, the many requirements being asked from mod creators to file takedown requests is a lot of work for people who most likely only work on Fallout 4 mods in their spare time.
The requirement of a Steam-linked account to upload Fallout 4 mods can be considered as an additional deterrent for users who would think about stealing the work of others.
In the Creation Kit update, Bethesda has also announced that the closed beta for mods for the PlayStation 4 version of Fallout 4 is almost ready, though there are still certain issues being experienced. Among the known issues for PlayStation 4 mods for Fallout 4 include the usage of PC textures, which could lead to memory and performance issues, the lack of support for sound files and the storage limit being capped at 900 MB.
