Copyright Notice, License and Other Notices
Game Details
Quantum Star SE is written in the PHP language, with data stored and retrieved using either the MySQL or PostgreSQL Database Management Systems which use SQL (Simplified Query Language). Javascript is used on a limited basis. The official website for the project which will eventually also host several games, can be found at http://www.quantum-star.com. Our forums are also located here for any questions or feedback users may wish to share. Quantum Star SE 2.3.0 is currently in Beta. Copyright Details
All original files and source code and their associated copyrights are governed by the national laws and regulations of those countries to which the authors hold citizenships. The copyright for Quantum Star SE, textual and graphical content, database schemas and data, output (excepting Player inputted messages, text, names and personal data), and all source code to the extent written by the Developers, is held jointly by all contributing developers as listed below. Additionally, the game engine concept and original code fall under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Ireland and the associated Irish Copyright legislation and any applicable European Union legislation and regulations governing copyrights due to the fact that the original author is an Irish citizen, and so holds "first author" rights. This jurisdictional governance therefore defines many of the legal positions underpinning the "Quantum Star SE" copyright. It is noted that each and every original file and graphic distributed under the name "Quantum Star SE" is copyrighted as a separate entity and separate "work in whole". This is a logical position, as the game is distributed as a set of source code text-based files rather than compiled binaries. This means that "Quantum Star SE" is a "collective" or "compilation" as defined under Irish Copyright legislation. Any question as to the validity of this position can and will only be questionable by direct reference to Irish Copyright legislation.
Governing License Furthermore, the copyright holders grant to all users of "Quantum Star SE" and any associated Developer produced patches, additions or publicly available code, the right to use, copy, modify and distribute the source code under the terms of the "GNU General Public License" and only under the terms of the afore mentioned license and no other for the version with which this file has been distributed. Any breach of the "GNU General Public License" immediately voids all of the user's rights to use, copy, modify or distribute the source code. Continued use of the source code while a breach is in evidence may result in legal proceedings, although the copyright holders reserve the right to delay legal actions against users, or allow the continued existence of a breach, under whatever circumstances they wish. Normally such a delay will be granted to a user by default to enable timely correction of a breach that may be in evidence. The "GNU General Public License" is an "open-source" license, designed to maximise the rights of the end user, and yet ensure that the original authors retain full copyright for the originally distributed source code. Users, regardless of the level of modifications or new content added, are not obliged to make the modified source code available for download by the general public unless they voluntarily make their source code publicly available. It is also noted that all changes to the Quantum Star SE code must be licensed under the "GNU General Public License" without exception, regardless of whether such changes remain privately held. Additionally, users are obliged to retain and continue to display (with only minor modification such as appending an additional notice for modifications) all copyright notices. The copyright holders retain the right, upon request, to waive this obligation as they see fit. Removal of any copyright notice will also void all of a user's rights under the license to use, copy, modify or distribute the source code unless a waiver has been secured from the Developers. For clarification, all waivers or special permissions granted by the Developers will be verified by email. Any revocation of a waiver or special permission will also be verified by email. If a written signed statement is required and requested by a user, it shall be provided in exchange for a small fee to cover stamp and postage, payable at the prevailing postage fees through the online Paypal service. Third Party Original Content It is noted that any new or original source code must also be licensed under the "GNU General Public License", however the author(s) and therefore copyright holder(s) of such new or original source code are not obliged to distribute this source code. This element is basically a loophole in the GPL due to its age (published 1991), and ignorance of the fact that PHP cannot be distributed as a binary executable. The Developers do however encourage such distribution in the interests of supporting the project. Third Party Code and Applications The copyright holders also recognise that "Quantum Star SE" is packaged and distributed with third party code and applications, or modified versions of third party code and applications, over which no copyright is claimed by the Developers, except to the extent of any modifications. All copyrights on third party code remain intact and are displayed below for the benefit of end users, and for the purpose of meeting any burden on the part of the Developers of "Quantum Star SE". The Copyright Holders
The current list of copyright holders for "Quantum Star SE" including "Quantum Star: Generations" are: The rights of all copyright holders as listed above are reserved. The Copyright Holders (Third Party Code and Applications)
The list of all third party code and applications is as follows: For any questions related to the copyright or license, please contact the Developers on the forums at http://www.quantum-star.com. To End Users The Developers would like to thank you for your interest in this project. As with all projects of this nature, development is constant and change inevitable. The developers appreciate any and all feedback posted to the forums, regardless of whether it is glowing praise or unending criticism. In the end we accept all of it, and strive to bring the needs of our users closer into the development process. We would also like to especially thank those willing to host the game. It's these people for whom we Developers are working for in the end. We hope your site visitors enjoy playing Quantum Star SE, and if you ever have a question or feedback, just drop by our forums. Project Donations Quantum Star Generations is a non-profit project. We accept donations to cover some of the costs associated with Quantum-Star hosting and domain upkeep. For those willing to part with as little as $1 you may donate to the project either from our SourceForge project page at http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/quantumstar/, or from the paypal donation link on our main website at http://www.quantum-star.com. Excess donations, should they exceed our costs, will be donated to charity.
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