Is buying the copyright removal worth it?

[coolguy67]

So there's a way to remove the XF copyright without buying it - has something to do with extra.less

Spoiler

/* Copyright */
.p-footer-copyright{font-size: 0px;}
.custom-copyright{font-size: 11px;}
/* End */

So is it worth buying copyright removal when you can do this?

 

[Kier]

So , just for a laugh, you could put Community platform by vBulletin?

OK, I'll get me coat...

Jokes aside, there seems to have been some confusion over what is permitted with Branding Removal, so here it is in plain English.

1. All XenForo-generated pages include copyright and attribution text at the bottom of the page, which reads Forum software (or) Community platform by XenForo® © 2010-20(year) XenForo Ltd. and links back to xenforo.com. We call this the copyright notice.
   
   
2. Without Branding Removal, you must retain, display and not modify in any way the copyright notice at the bottom of all public facing pages.
   
   
3. Branding Removal grants you the right to remove or hide the copyright notice from the bottom of public facing pages.
   
   
4. If you want to remove the copyright notice for some reason but retain some attribution to XenForo, that's great.
   
   
5. However, Branding Removal does not allow you to white-label XenForo or suggest in some way that software other than XenForo is responsible for the pages being generated by or through XenForo.

 

[Chris D]

If you pay to remove it, you can do whatever you want (within reason )

 

[ShikiSuen]

You can purchase the branding removal option of course but just know, someone that really wants to find out what software you're running will find out.

I have no such needs. I feel good leaving XF branding there as-is.
I was talking about one of my folk's situation.

 

[AndrewSimm]

Speaking just generally under U.S. law, although a copyright notice has not been required on published works since March 1, 1989, eliminating a copyright notice nevertheless may weaken the copyright owner's position in certain types of infringement litigation. (See U.S. Copyright Office Circular 3, Rev. 03/2021.)

So why would a copyright owner take such a risk by removing the notice?

Well, for revenue, of course, which they presumably feel outweighs the incremental litigation risk.

The removal of a copyright notice isn't worth a farthing to me. So, I'm not offended by it on my soon-to-be Xenforo "community platform" . . . nor on the second page of every one of the thousands of books I own.

I don't think having a copyright at the bottom of every page makes any impact on infringement litigation. Books don't contain copyrights on every page and neither does any non web-based software package I have ever used. I think XF does it because it has value (sales) and they charge to remove to cover lost sales.

 

[Forsaken]

I think your "not worth it" answer was useless, and offered nothing of value to the discussion. Perhaps it was laziness, or a case negativity, but whatever the reason, you offered nothing to support "not worth it."

Honestly... These threads basically encourage short answers.

Is branding free worth it? Not really. Why? Because it adds nothing of value, and is more expensive than other investments such as quality add-ons, custom development or branding free for add-ons. $250-300 is more than many communities make in a month, so it is not really worth spending a month income on something that is essentially pointless unless you can afford it.

The only time it is worth it is a) you can afford it, b) you have a brand that you would rather not dilute with other copyrights. Even the second one is not very valuable, unless you have a particular reason for it.

I generally buy branding free for add-ons for sites I own or run, and if the income is enough to justify it I will pay for branding free for XF or other software. But it's really not worth it .

 

[Russ]

You can't do that, you need to leave the copyright visible.

All copies of the Software must contain the same proprietary notices that appear on and in the Software, including all copyright notices embedded in the Software, which must remain unaltered from the original and visible at all times, unless by specific prior arrangement with XenForo Limited

 

[Chris D]

Please see the license agreement, particularly the highlighted clause here:
https://xenforo.com/license-agreeme...ecific prior arrangement with XenForo Limited.

 

[RobParker]

So there's a way to remove the XF copyright without buying it - has something to do with extra.less

Spoiler

/* Copyright */
.p-footer-copyright{font-size: 0px;}
.custom-copyright{font-size: 11px;}
/* End */

So is it worth buying copyright removal when you can do this?

You purchase the right to remove it, not the technical ability to. It's trivial to hide it but against the terms.

 

[Ozzy47]

 

[Gene Steinberg]

I really don't see the need to remove a copyright from my forum or main site. The people who worked on these features deserve recognition.

 

[ShikiSuen]

I really don't see the need to remove a copyright from my forum or main site. The people who worked on these features deserve recognition.

I agree w/ your opinion despite that some of my friends don't want to let their business competitors know what community platform he is using. People's needs vary.

 

[ShikiSuen]

Okay, here's the deal: You don't think it worths it, then you don't buy it and don't remove it.
Case closed.

 

[ShikiSuen]

Please see the license agreement, particularly the highlighted clause here:
https://xenforo.com/license-agreement/#:~:text=All copies of the Software must contain the same proprietary notices that appear on and in the Software, including all copyright notices embedded in the Software, which must remain unaltered from the original and visible at all times, unless by specific prior arrangement with XenForo Limited.

Is it allowed to change the text to "Powered by © 2010-2021 XenForo ® Ltd." ?
This looks much much shorter.

 

[Paul B]

Is it allowed to change the text to "Powered by © 2010-2021 XenForo ® Ltd." ?
This looks much much shorter.

No.

 

[ShikiSuen]

No.

Thanks for your response. Another question:
I noticed that you changed the "Forum software by XenForo" to "Community platform by XenForo" since XF 2.2.5 update.

I had a secondary license which is only able to use XF 2.2.4 and older.
Is it allowed to change its the "Forum software by XenForo" to "Community platform by XenForo" so the actual old XF version won't get compromised to visitors?

 

[Paul B]

No, the copyright cannot be changed.

 

[FreshFroot]

I agree w/ your opinion despite that some of my friends don't want to let their business competitors know what community platform he is using. People's needs vary.

you do know that there are MANY other ways to find out what platform someone is using right......
No copyright notice does not "hide" what platform you are using.

And, as everyone has said. You cannot touch the copyright notice in any way. Or you can pay extra and the problem is solved.

 

[ShikiSuen]

you do know that there are MANY other ways to find out what platform someone is using right......
No copyright notice does not "hide" what platform you are using.

And, as everyone has said. You cannot touch the copyright notice in any way. Or you can pay extra and the problem is solved.

Your statement works in English-speaking markets. XenForo at this moment is extremely non-famous in Mainland China.

vB3 and IPB were famous before but these share (even though these are mostly nulled installations) were gradually taken by Comsenz Discuz (which is technologically 10 years behind XF2) during 2007-2013. Similarly, PHPBB.

Discuz is free for non-commercial users (probably free for commercial users now since recent years) and has lots of localized features which are generally not available by default in vB3-4, XF1, all versions of IPB, vB5, MyBB, SMF, etc. Most end-users in this market don't care about develop-ability but just want a ready-to-use solution. Plus, considering the average income difference between Mainland China and Anglo-Saxon countries, the price of XenForo license (even if not having the branding removal) is generally regarded as "totally not acceptable" even if some funny commercial Discuz users prefer to pay hundreds of USDs to find someone to customize Discuz for modern features (like legally-required SMS verification procedures, etc...., and a standalone cellphone view - yeah, they generally don't give it a phuque to what the responsive design is.)

That's why buying branding removal works in this market. Even though there are CMS detection services online, these services are all in English... and the language barrier can ban 95% of visitors in PRC.

 

[HostDash]

Your statement works in English-speaking markets. XenForo at this moment is extremely non-famous in Mainland China.

vB3 and IPB were famous before but these share (even though these are mostly nulled installations) were gradually taken by Comsenz Discuz (which is technologically 10 years behind XF2) during 2007-2013. Similarly, PHPBB.

Discuz is free for non-commercial users (probably free for commercial users now since recent years) and has lots of localized features which are generally not available by default in vB3-4, XF1, all versions of IPB, vB5, MyBB, SMF, etc. Most end-users in this market don't care about develop-ability but just want a ready-to-use solution. Plus, considering the average income difference between Mainland China and Anglo-Saxon countries, the price of XenForo license (even if not having the branding removal) is generally regarded as "totally not acceptable" even if some funny commercial Discuz users prefer to pay hundreds of USDs to find someone to customize Discuz for modern features (like legally-required SMS verification procedures, etc...., and a standalone cellphone view - yeah, they generally don't give it a phuque to what the responsive design is.)

That's why buying branding removal works in this market. Even though there are CMS detection services online, these services are all in English... and the language barrier can ban 95% of visitors in PRC.

You can purchase the branding removal option of course but just know, someone that really wants to find out what software you're running will find out.