Fallout 4 mods for Xbox One are being stolen from PC, and Bethesda isn’t happy

Fallout 4 nearly took a year to deliver on a promise for console mods, but the flood gates have been well and truly opened on Xbox One following Bethesda’s beta period on the console. Mods are pouring in from creators, adding a little more creativity to the sometime bland wastelands that either enthralled or bored you last year. Problem is a lot of these mods are being straight up ripped from PC creators, and Bethesda isn’t happy about stealing.

There are an increasing number of reports pointing towards some users taking parts (or whole) mods from the PC resource pool, uploading it to the Creation Kit and sending it to the Xbox One with zero credit to the original creator. Mods don’t just happen, and creators usually spend a worthwhile amount of time making them. Stealing them without credit is just as bad as stealing the game you’re aiming to play them on, and Bethesda’s solution to it isn’t too elegant for the victims.

They’re just as angry about the situation as anyone, and have urged wronged mod creators to file DMCA takedowns on content that they think has been stolen. Despite how simple YouTube’s ridiculous bots make this process seem, the fact is that in the real world it’s a hell of a lot of work for the party concerned. I mean, just look at these requirements.

• A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site.
• Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to locate the material. Providing URLs in the body of an email is the best way to help us locate Content quickly.
• Information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address at which the complaining party may be contacted.
• A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
• A statement that the information in the notification is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

So in essence, if something you’ve worked hours and hours on gets stolen in a second, you’re now expected to spend even more time to submit a claim that will hopefully be picked up and return your content to you. Meanwhile a thief literally takes seconds to nab your work and claim it as their own. Neat.

Legally it seems Bethesda really can’t do much else at this point, but I suspect they are looking at more efficient ways to stem the crime spree that is occurring on their platform on Xbox One. For now, maybe just at least try help these poor mod creators where you can.

Last Updated: June 8, 2016