While browsing the Plugins section, I started seeing a lot of PSP tubes that were .png renders of Aiko and other Poser and DAZ figures with commercial textures and clothing.

While I can't say with any certainty regarding e-frontier's products, I know DAZ's TOU on their products states that they cannot be used in a way that "directly competes" with the sales of their products, which to a degree, these PSP tubes do just that because they allow someone to download for free rendered versions of DAZ products to add into their images without actually purchasing the actual model/texture/product.

I tried flagging one of them, but it just gave me an error stating that I cannot flag an item from another site.

The textures and characters cannot be extracted from the rendered images. It would be no different than posting a rendered image of say,.. a Vue scene with several of the objects that come within Vue, and posting it in a gallery for all to use as wallpaper or a desktop background.

You could however write to Daz and ask them if they allow tubes to be made of Aiko for use in other images. 

Actually, it is different, becasue a render that is posted and used as a wallpaper is an original work that does not compete with sales of products because the wallpaper is not being used to create new images.

The tubes do compete with sales because they are providing a means for others to create new/derivitive images using a product derivitive that they may not legally own.

This subject comes up often in the DAZ forums and the answer is generally. "No, you cannot do that".

Yes...a difficult area indeed. Daz do give permission for png format. If a provider were, however, to deliver lots of images of say the millennium cat in all its poses, then I see a problem. Images are often supplied for postwork and this topic has been discussed time and time again!!!

See....http://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/index.php?ViewProduct=49315 for a product in their marketplace. This involves the medusa and both DAZ and the vendor state that "they have no problem with this".

I was under the impression that png images could be used and I can give you links to many sites that actually SELL them.

Hope this helps in some way!!!

Interesting, I had not seen that product before, but then again I don't shop ant Rendo often.

Well, I'm man enough to admit that I'm apparently wrong, so I'll just shut up now.

Absolutely no need to shut up!!!!!....you are right to question!!!! This has always been a sticky area and it all depends on how the render is used. There is a limit to what another person can do with a render. You are not giving away the model and all that goes with it OR the expensive software needed to generate that render. The problem arises if you provide lots of different views that essentially reproduce the product. From what I can gather, DAZ want customers to use their products innovatively...i.e. make use of our expensive software (Poser 7, Bryce, Photoshop etc) and products and provide materials that even the 2D community seek. There are many uses for Poser output.....from scenes to animation to imagery. Personally, I do all of them!  At the end of the day, appropriate rendering in Poser requires a knowledge of good lighting, the material and cloth room AND the animation palette.

 You keep posting....I found your observations very interesting as I too have had a problem with some earlier work on this site where poser renders where offered just as a collection pngs with a single animal/object provided in all different poses and angles. This, I do not agree with.

Sorry for the long post....BUT....I am partly in agreement with you......but NOT particularly on the legal issue as you state it. it all depends upon how the renders are presented.

Will investigate further for you.

Cheers

Pauline

P.S. mail me of you like.

Hi again....did some research and here is another link from Rendo for you to view. OK?

Cheers

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/index.php?ViewProduct=50616&

Excuse me.....are you having a go at me?????...I do not make tubes and I create all my own fonts effects from commercial, true type plain black and white font types.....These are my own effects...they are NOT purchased from anywhere. So what are you saying.....I create all my my own stuff????

Please explain what you mean. You cleary have misunderstood.

I also meant to say....I buy my own black and white fonts.....really don't know what you are tring to say....you seem yo be targetting me and I find you very rude. Go and attack those who upload actual PSP tubes....render after render. And....get your facts right first. I do not need this!!!!

I have tried to be helpful and you seem to be a very angry person.