Senior Administrator
Administrator
ON Saturday, April 9, 2011, two posts were started on SOH concerning a new freeware Grumman Duck package that had been uploaded to AVsim.ru by SWingman. The FS9 forum thread was started by Full and the FSX forum thread was started by RobH. These posts received a great deal of activity.
On Monday, April 11, 2011, messages began to be received by SOH staff members from a representative of the Icarus Gold payware sim company stating that the freeware Grumman Duck package by SWingman was pirated off of their payware FSX Grumman Duck package. At that time, the staff of SOH closed and locked the threads concerning SWingman's Grumman Ducks package and removed any and all packages that had been uploaded to our library that contained anything related to the MDL (model) files of the package under the assumption that the allegation of piracy were valid. Also at that time, the staff of SOH began an investigation into the allegations to ascertain whether or not the SWingman Grumman Ducks were in fact pirated from the Icarus Gold FSX payware Grumman Ducks package or whether an honest, freeware developer...namely, SWingman...was being unduely accused of piracy when he had in fact developed his Grumman Ducks independently and without the use of illegally obtained source coding.
Based on the the vast differences between the two models, coupled with Icarus Gold's unwillingness to participate in our investigation and unwillingness and inability to provide us with any solid evidence to support their claim of piracy, We, the staff at SOH, have concluded that the allegations of piracy made by Icarus Gold are unfounded and incorrect and that the SWingman Grumman Ducks are legitimate and legal freeware developments. At this time we are currently attempting to obtain permission to host SWingman's Duck here in the SOH library.
Senior Administrators.
On Monday, April 11, 2011, messages began to be received by SOH staff members from a representative of the Icarus Gold payware sim company stating that the freeware Grumman Duck package by SWingman was pirated off of their payware FSX Grumman Duck package. At that time, the staff of SOH closed and locked the threads concerning SWingman's Grumman Ducks package and removed any and all packages that had been uploaded to our library that contained anything related to the MDL (model) files of the package under the assumption that the allegation of piracy were valid. Also at that time, the staff of SOH began an investigation into the allegations to ascertain whether or not the SWingman Grumman Ducks were in fact pirated from the Icarus Gold FSX payware Grumman Ducks package or whether an honest, freeware developer...namely, SWingman...was being unduely accused of piracy when he had in fact developed his Grumman Ducks independently and without the use of illegally obtained source coding.
Based on the the vast differences between the two models, coupled with Icarus Gold's unwillingness to participate in our investigation and unwillingness and inability to provide us with any solid evidence to support their claim of piracy, We, the staff at SOH, have concluded that the allegations of piracy made by Icarus Gold are unfounded and incorrect and that the SWingman Grumman Ducks are legitimate and legal freeware developments. At this time we are currently attempting to obtain permission to host SWingman's Duck here in the SOH library.
Senior Administrators.