developerTextureTheft media/texture_protection_title.gif There Texture Protection See something in There that looks a little familiar? Maybe a little too familiar? Although it is said that imitation is the highest form of work. Well, that's what There's Texture Protection is for: to protect your work from getting ripped off. There thrives on the creativity of its developers, so we take peer-to-peer texture theft seriously. We hope that the Texture Protection policy outlined below proves this, and ensures that texture theft will become a thing of the past. media/texture_policy_title.gif Texture Theft Policy Unauthorized Asset Use, more commonly known as "texture theft," is a form of copyright infringement. It is when a Developer takes a texture or model file created by There or another Member Developer and incorporates it, in whole or in part, into his/her submission without having authorization from the copyright owner. While there have been instances of Developers resubmitting model files created by other Developers without permission, the vast majority of cases have been texture related. When we are notified of a texture theft situation, our Approvers will conduct a thorough investigation. If it is determined the complaint is valid, the following actions will be taken: 1st Offense: The product will be retired (with no refund of submission fees) and the offending Developer will be educated and suspended from the Developer Program for a period of at least ten (10) days. 2nd Offense: The product will be retired (with no refund of submission fees) and the offending Developer will be suspended from the Developer Program for a period of at least sixty (60) days. The Developer will then be required to pay a reinstatement fee of up to T$100,000 if he or she wishes to reenter the Developer Program. 3rd Offense: The product will be retired (with no refund of submission fees) and we will take swift remedial action, up to and including the offending Developer's permanent suspension from There. Note: "Retiring" a product means that all related auctions are automatically ended and no new copies of the item will ever be created (through the Developer site or otherwise). Please be absolutely sure of the merits of your case before filing a texture theft complaint. We have received many unfounded complaints, and they take just as much time to research and resolve as those that are legitimate. If we receive more than two (2) unfounded complaints from a Developer, we reserve the right to no longer investigate claims on behalf of that Developer. media/complaint_policy_title.gif Complaint Policy 1st Unfounded Complaint: A warning is logged. 2nd Unfounded Complaint: A final warning is logged. 3rd Unfounded Complaint: The content review board will no longer investigate theft claims on your behalf. media/complaint_process_title.gif Complaint Process Step 1: Contact the developer who you believe stole your texture to discuss the situation and explain your intention to log a complaint with There. If you cannot reach the developer in question, please get written support of your situation from at least two other developers. Save all exchanges regarding your situation for Step 2. Step 2: If you are absolutely certain that one of your textures has been stolen, and you were not able to work it out with the other developer, contact the Product Submission Team here. Please include the following information:

Your avatar name
Your original catalog image name (e.g., 11143991_cat.jpg)
Avatar name of the accused developer
Catalog image name of the item in question
Reason (Even if it's obvious, please state why you think there has been a theft)
Contact history (Please include all records of your contact with the accused developer, or with other developers backing up your claim. We will not investigate a claim until you can show that you have followed Step 1.)

Step 3: Wait 7 to 10 business days for the Content Review Board's final decision.