How Do You Copyright A Style?

DRE

Well-known member
I want to copyright a style I've been working on because it's been taking me longer than normal to create. I want to release it too but with my site in my footer then just have peep's donate to remove the footer copyright like for the other styles that have been released on here.
 
You want to copyright the style or add copyright text to the footer?

You can't "copyright" a style/layout, only the code that powers it. However if you just want to add your own copyright text/link, put it in the footer template.

This is where we have ours. (Position it via CSS)
Code:
                <xen:if is="{$xenOptions.privacyPolicyUrl}"><li><a href="{$xenOptions.privacyPolicyUrl}">{xen:phrase privacy_policy}</a></li></xen:if>
            </xen:hook>
            </ul>
<div id="dba_copyright"><b>Copyright © 2012 Company Name</b></div>       
            <xen:if is="{$debugMode}">
                <xen:if hascontent="true">
                    <dl class="pairsInline" title="{$controllerName}-&gt;{$controllerAction}{xen:if $viewName, ' ({$viewName})'}">
                    <xen:contentcheck>
 
You want to copyright the style or add copyright text to the footer?

You can't "copyright" a style/layout, only the code that powers it. However if you just want to add your own copyright text/link, put it in the footer template.

This is where we have ours. (Position it via CSS)
Code:
                <xen:if is="{$xenOptions.privacyPolicyUrl}"><li><a href="{$xenOptions.privacyPolicyUrl}">{xen:phrase privacy_policy}</a></li></xen:if>
            </xen:hook>
            </ul>
<div id="dba_copyright"><b>Copyright © 2012 Company Name</b></div>     
            <xen:if is="{$debugMode}">
                <xen:if hascontent="true">
                    <dl class="pairsInline" title="{$controllerName}-&gt;{$controllerAction}{xen:if $viewName, ' ({$viewName})'}">
                    <xen:contentcheck>
I mean like this dude. http://xenforo.com/community/threads/flexile.7164/
 

In the first post of the thread you link to.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=SRW98J8EGXPCY

===================================================
Branding-Free Option

I am now offering a branding-free option that you can purchase if you want to remove the "Flexile theme by Erik Swan" branding in the footer. The price is $20 and gives you the right to remove the Flexile branding from one (1) installation of Flexile and/or Flexile Dark on one forum. This is a branding-free license only. Purchasing the branding-free option does not entitle you to extra support or priority support. I will try to answer your questions as best I can here in this thread, but in terms of support you are no different than anyone else. :)


If you have purchased a branding-free license and need help removing the branding, please PM me for branding removal instructions. :)
 
In the first post of the thread you link to.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=SRW98J8EGXPCY

===================================================
Branding-Free Option

I am now offering a branding-free option that you can purchase if you want to remove the "Flexile theme by Erik Swan" branding in the footer. The price is $20 and gives you the right to remove the Flexile branding from one (1) installation of Flexile and/or Flexile Dark on one forum. This is a branding-free license only. Purchasing the branding-free option does not entitle you to extra support or priority support. I will try to answer your questions as best I can here in this thread, but in terms of support you are no different than anyone else. :)


If you have purchased a branding-free license and need help removing the branding, please PM me for branding removal instructions. :)
Sorry I'm just now seeing this post. I don't know how to do what he did. I've been wanting to release themes for a long time but I never could figure this part out.
 
Sorry I'm just now seeing this post. I don't know how to do what he did. I've been wanting to release themes for a long time but I never could figure this part out.
As far as I know it's done by the honor system. For example I could go remove the XF branding (without paying) however that's wrong and I won't do it unless I've paid for it. Same goes for styles/mods.
 
Heres a question about styles, If I use a style and significantly alter it, can I remove the copyright since it is no longer the code they claimed copyright to?
 
As far as I know it's done by the honor system. For example I could go remove the XF branding (without paying) however that's wrong and I won't do it unless I've paid for it. Same goes for styles/mods.
Oh really? I could make styles all day and post them, I just never could figure out how the branding removal stuff worked which is why I left it alone. I think I need to ask more people though.
 
Heres a question about styles, If I use a style and significantly alter it, can I remove the copyright since it is no longer the code they claimed copyright to?
Are you referring to the default XF style or a third party? I'm no lawyer so I have no legal opinion, however morally.......

Back when I first built my own custom vB style I bought a style just so that I could use a small part of it. The styles didn't even remotely look the same, however I wouldn't have felt right just taking somebody else's work.
 
Oh really? I could make styles all day and post them, I just never could figure out how the branding removal stuff worked which is why I left it alone. I think I need to ask more people though.
I really don't know of any other way to do it, unless you use a plugin.

If it's in the templates it can just be edited out. For example this is XF's copyright in the footer template:
Code:
<div id="copyright">{xen:phrase xenforo_copyright}</div>
 
I really don't know of any other way to do it, unless you use a plugin.

If it's in the templates it can just be edited out. For example this is XF's copyright in the footer template:
Code:
<div id="copyright">{xen:phrase xenforo_copyright}</div>
What I'm mostly referring to is those styles that install a copyright in the footer through some kind of hook or plugin in the style file you import but not directly in the template. That's what I need because I don't want people to have to revert their footer template just to keep the changes from their parent style.
 
That's what I need because I don't want people to have to revert their footer template just to keep the changes from their parent style.
Removing the copyright is as simple as adding this to EXTRA.css:
Code:
#copyright {
display: none;
}
No template editing required.
 
Removing the copyright is as simple as adding this to EXTRA.css:
Code:
#copyright {
display: none;
}
No template editing required.
I mean adding one to the footer. I've installed styles before that had a copyright added to the footer without the footer template being touched. They did it through a template hook. It's the same concept when people create an add-on and put their credit in the footer and ask peeps to donate to remove it.
 
I think he asking how to add a text like this:
2f167b291dce0a595cd765ad08ffa992.png


"Xenforo skin by Xenfocus".

I also want to know this :)
 
Add-ons can do this easily by adding a template modification (TMS system), or more recommended by using a template_hook (harder to remove the copyright this way). I liked @digitalpoint's way of doing it. Styles, you can't really do that. All you can do is put it in the template footer. I don't think you can utilise the TMS system either. Most styles probably just throw it into the footer template, but I'm not a style designer so I can't comment on how they do it, heck I've never hit create style in my life.
 
All of our themes are supported by an Add-on that does this for us using a template hook.

Regards,

Jake
 
You can't stop people removing your branding if they really want to. Trying to be cryptic with your copyright won't help, and will only make things more complicated/annoying for yourselves and your legit users.
 
You can't stop people removing your branding if they really want to. Trying to be cryptic with your copyright won't help, and will only make things more complicated/annoying for yourselves and your legit users.
Not necessarily, a callback to your server makes removing copyright a lot easier. After a payment, donation or manual entry into the database the callback will detect that branding free is enabled, and remove the copyright, and the end user has to do nothing.
 
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