📢 EA user agreement about UGC
When I write "terms of use" it's not to make it pretty. Maybe you don't know, but not complying with those terms violates the EA user agreement.
"You also grant to all other users who can access and use your UGC on an EA Service the right to use, copy, modify, display, perform, create derivative works from, and otherwise communicate and distribute your UGC on or through the relevant EA Service without further notice, attribution or compensation to you."
Discord isn't an EA service, Telegram isn't an EA service, etc...
So, distributing my work outside the relevant EA Service, in our case The Sims 4, is not even allowed by EA itself.
"When you access or use an EA Service, you agree that you will not:
Publish, post, upload or distribute UGC or content that is illegal or that you don't have permission to freely distribute."
Comments (26)
Indeed you are using your own assets and resources to create that specific mod BUT in order for that mod to have any value you are using EA content and its product ! Therefore you are going against EA policy ! Try and sell your mods without Sims4 and see how many will subscribe I DOUBT THAT WILL BE ANY (regarding sims4 mod community) If you wish to make money there are so many other platform, why not going there?! Hmmm probably because sims4 community is a saturated water to fish in !? I have never paid for mods and will never do it ! PS: I am also creating mods (not for sims) and I don't expect to be paid !As about the law of copy rights I would say that under Berne Convention ensure that signatory countries recognize the copyright of works from other signatory countries! Another example of French entitlement thinking that he cant be touch and his law is above ...International courthouse exist for a reason !
Thank you for your comment. I’ll respond point by point for clarity, as there seems to be quite a bit of confusion and misinformation. First of all, many of my CCs are created entirely from scratch. When I do use licensed resources, I do so legally and within the terms of those licences. That does not give anyone else the right to extract, share or redistribute those files. Whether it’s original work or based on licensed material, my content is protected by copyright and cannot be reused or republished without permission. You mentioned that CC wouldn’t have value without The Sims 4. Of course, I’m creating content for The Sims 4, and I’ve never claimed otherwise. But creating for a specific platform doesn’t make someone’s work less valuable or less original. This applies across many creative fields, from mods and fan art to plugins and custom content. You also asked why I don’t move to another platform if I want to make money. The answer is simple: I’ve loved The Sims since I was 8 years old. It’s a huge part of my life, and I always dreamed of creating my own content for it. I don’t see why I should invest my time and energy into something I’m less passionate about just to meet someone else’s expectations. I create for The Sims because it brings me joy, and I’m grateful I can share that with people who appreciate it. I also sell original assets outside the Sims 4 community, through platforms like CGTrader, where I offer 3D models. So yes, I’m familiar with various licensing systems and digital marketplaces. But The Sims remains my creative space, and Patreon simply gives people the option to support my work if they choose to. No one is ever forced to pay, and everything becomes free over time. Regarding copyright, I own the rights to all the original 3D models, textures, UV maps and designs I create. That’s how copyright works. Your interpretation of international copyright law is incorrect. Finally, I’d appreciate it if we could keep the discussion respectful. You’re free to disagree, but assumptions about my intentions or vague legal threats don’t help anyone. I’m creating with care, I’m transparent about what I do, and I follow the rules. Thanks again.
Just saw this. And my two cents, humble opinion is: I personally have no problem with paid content for my game. In my opinion, it makes the game more enjoyable. You creators take the time and effort to make these beautiful things, that most of us would never be able to do. I agree with EA's terms, but if a creator chooses to paywall their stuff, I'm simply not going to lose sleep over it. There's SO much cc out there to choose from, it's ridiculous to fight over it .. especially with all the things going on in this world. This game - and content - takes you away for a little bit each day, and I'm thankful for the creators out there who make gorgeous things for our sims. Your creations are hands-down, top-tier, beautiful. Dust Bunny, Ruby Red, KHD, Novvvas, and a few others .. who can top that!? If I have some extra $ I'll buy, if I don't I'll wait. Some can't afford extra, I get that too - in my own case my finances took a dump after divorce. But I'm climbing back up the hill lol Soon I'll be able to purchase the cc I like, until then I scoop up the free offerings, and I wish the creators all the best :) Just my opinion! Won't be the most popular, but that's cool. (p.s. a lot of players pc's/laptops can't even handle the high poly counts! My pc will, thankfully, but I still have to watch out. There's so many creators who use lower poly counts that have bunches of free stuff. I stay focused on those, if I'm low on funds. )
Thank you so much Donna for your kind words about creators works 🥺🥰❤️ I’m really sorry to hear about your divorce and I hope you are feeling ok? I also wish you to be in a more confortable financial situation as soon as possible!!!! 🤞🤞🤞 I’m sending you a lot of love coming your way and my best wishes ❤️❤️😘 Same to anyone who is in a hard situation. Our entire world is actually struggling and it scares me for our future. I really hope everything is going for the better to anyone of us 🙏 Also if you like, I publicly gave my email address (sims4luxury@gmail.com) if someone want to request a single custom content to download for free which is still in early access after a month. And I recently publicly shared for free 42 CCs on a public Patreon post. I really wasn’t talking about anything related to money, paid content or whatever but solely focused on the distribution without permission. Wish you the best again Donna 🤗 And thank you from the bottom of my heart for the way you respect creators and artists 🙏🙏❤️❤️😘😘
Well you cannot sue Sims Rebels or anyone else who distributes your content for free. Because you CHOOSE to take EAs TOs as you want, not our fault. EA specifies that you cannot keep content behind paywalls forever, not even for a year. Your friend KateSimblr, RubyRed and Cowbuild think they have these rights. But don't get mad that others are giving your content away for free. I am respectful of the ones who follow EAs TOS on cc. So I will subscribe to the early access creators who release their content after about a month. And always will. However, the ones who want to keep it perma paywall, or not release things for a year, nope I will always get it where I can. And I don't use Sims Rebels much, there are much other places giving pawall creators content for free than them.
I think you get me wrong Nicole and I feel a lot of hostility in the way you are talking to me. First, the copyright owner of an original creative work can sue anyone who distribute it without permission. We, The Sims 4 players, are not allowed by EA to distribute someone else UGC outside the relevant EA services without permission. You know why? Because sometimes an UGC contains copyrighted materials not own by EA. So, if the creator clearly stated to not reupload and someone do it, it can be a copyright infringement and a violation of the EA User agreement. That’s all I’m trying to explain here. Everyone is free to choose to support or not. I’m not mad because someone doesn’t want to support me on Patreon. Thanks to all the people who support my work through early access, public releases, on my socials, etc… I can continue to create new CCs and I’m grateful everyday for that 🙏 I wrote this post for a multiple of reasons and none of them are related to early access, money or whatever. But here is one exemple: sometimes to create a CC, I’m buying licences to materials such as patterns. And sometimes the licence I’m buying has a limit number of copies allowed or allow certain uses, but not others, etc… Which means that if I can not keep control of the number of copies being distributed, because people choose to violate my TOU, EA user agreement and copyright laws because they think I’m a perma paywaller, I’m friend with Cowbuild and RubyRed (which isn’t even true), that EA owns every part of an UGC, or whatever, then the creator I bought a licence will also have their rights being violated, not only mine. Today I wanted to buy an extended licence to a new illustrator on Etsy I love allowing 1000 copies of a pattern. The unlimited licence is $150 for a single pattern (which I can’t afford, it’s easy to understand) compared to $18 for <1000. I did not because I know a small portion of our community think they have all rights towards a CC.
I stand corrected… i did not find a 6$ pillow that must’ve been a different creator
Thank you so much Santasha for this comment 🙏🙏❤😘
All CC is EA property, you couldnt make anything without EAs package or game.
Not always. Any original creative work created (let say a 3D model and or a texture for example), the original creator choose to embody in an EA UGC, is exclusively an intellectual property of the creator and is protected by copyright laws as soon as it’s created. Sometimes, the original creator of a material is the CC creator you download a .package file from. So, those copyrighted materials are not own by EA nor by their users but exclusively by the original creator. You can’t create an original 3D model with an EA game or service for exemple. So, what you are saying is sometimes true, sometimes not.
It was very important that you raise this issue. As a content creator, you can be assured that I fully support you. ❤
I fully support your creative rights as well. Thank you so much 🙏🙏❤️
You allow EA and our players to use anything you upload or create (UGC) for free within our games and services. You are responsible for your UGC, it must be your own content or content you're allowed to use. Mods must be non-commercial and distributed free-of-charge. Mods can’t be sold, licensed, or rented for a fee, nor can Mods contain features that would support monetary transactions of any type. We recognize that creating Mods takes time and resources. To offset these development costs, Mod developers may: *offer an early access incentive for a reasonable amount of time. After a reasonable early access period, all players must be able to access the Mods in full for free regardless of whether they donate. *run passive advertisements and requests for donations so long as they are limited to the Mod website or distribution site, and don’t appear within the Mod itself.
As you wrote yourself « To use… within our game and services ». So of course users can use a CC in The Sims 4. But what is the point of your comment? Do you think « use within our game and services » means users has the right to distribute a creator’s original creation outside the relevant EA service without permission?
I will just suck it up and buy the early access….😂😂😂😂💕💕💕
Oh Santasha 😭 That is so nice of you but it wasn't my intention to convince anyone to become a Patron. I published this post for those who don't know that it is against EA policy to distribute other's people work without permission. I'm sending you a private message because I have something private to tell you 😂🤗
@Sims4Luxury i don’t know
At least it's honest
I think the only person who would be mad about it is creators who keep their cc locked forever…. The best cc creators have an early access period.. not forever… i understand but you should take that into consideration
Why do you think I do not have early access?
Patreon isnt an EA service either 😏
Lol, read it again. It does not talk about the creator of the UGC
welcome
🤗
i totally agree
Thank you Melanie 🙏❤️😘😘