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Disney Open Source

disney.github.io

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Re: Disney Open Source

#51

Super cool! I'd be curious to see what bits of software here are from WDAS vs ILM vs Pixar.

Pixar: USD, OpenSubdiv, jss-api-gem

WDAS: Reposado, SeExpr, Ptex, Partio, Dynamica, BRDF Explorer

ILM: OpenEXR, Alembic (with Sony)

Re: Disney Open Source

#52

Just an FYI: Always be careful! I opened up a couple of these repos and some seem to have modifications on their licenses. Some like OpenEXR say "BSD" but don't actually have a license file. Others like, Ptex and Partio, have no mention of a license at all. Edit: For anyone wondering why this is an issue. From a legal standpoint, there is a huge difference between being able to read the code, and being able to use th…

You should create github issues with the relevant projects.

Re: Disney Open Source

#53
Oh, so that's what the replacements that Disney outsourced and canned those US professionals will be using? Maybe not the most polite type of joke, but hey, I just saw that a judge recently smacked down the class action the terminated employees had submitted (using sound logic).

Be wary of anything with Disney's fingerprints on it. They are - rightly or wrongly - seen as Public Enemy #1 to Copyright reform. Throwing some spare change into the pond of Open Source should be measured.

Re: Disney Open Source

#55
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> Why should random companies get to legally print knockoff Mickey t-shirts just because enough time has passed? Because after a while is supposed that the investment paid off. Why should a single company keep Mickey or any other IP right hostage forever?

Should the same happen to your family home?

> Should the same happen to your family home?

In China land use rights can only be bought for a limited time - after this time it goes back to the government:

> https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chinese_property_...

In this sense other countries than the US indeed give quite different answers to your rhetorical question.

Re: Disney Open Source

#56

Just an FYI: Always be careful! I opened up a couple of these repos and some seem to have modifications on their licenses. Some like OpenEXR say "BSD" but don't actually have a license file. Others like, Ptex and Partio, have no mention of a license at all. Edit: For anyone wondering why this is an issue. From a legal standpoint, there is a huge difference between being able to read the code, and being able to use th…

There are some well-defined rules around publishing your code on github w/o a license. Apparently it's detailed in the TOS. https://help.github.com/articles/open-source-licensing/#what...

If by "well-defined rules" you mean normal "Copyright Law", then yes. But it extends no protections or permissions beyond what copyright law already gives you.

Re: Disney Open Source

#57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? Disney has invested countless dollars into Mickey Mouse over the past 89 years. It's not like the Happy Birthday song, being hoarded without innovation purely for profit; they're actively expanding/investing/improving and making billions of people happy. Why should random companies get to legally print knockoff Mickey t-shirts just because enough time has passed?

Because that's what the US Constitution requires [1]: "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries" (Emphasis added) [1] https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/United_States...

Copyright is limited. It's just that the Mickey Mouse collective is constantly getting laws passed that push back how far away "limited" is. It's more like a pay-as-you-go scheme for unlimited copyright while skirting around the US constitution. And of course, because Disney has enough money they can also convince Congress to apply the law changes retroactively.

Re: Disney Open Source

#58
post #51

Super cool! I'd be curious to see what bits of software here are from WDAS vs ILM vs Pixar.

Pixar: USD, OpenSubdiv, jss-api-gem WDAS: Reposado, SeExpr, Ptex, Partio, Dynamica, BRDF Explorer ILM: OpenEXR, Alembic (with Sony)

Alembic was actually mostly Sony originally - ILM were mostly just a name on the ticket, and ILM started using the format because it was much more Katana-friendly (random access and lazy-loading) than their current format, and they were starting to use Katana at the time.

The first version of Alembic was pretty much just Sony's internal geometry format renamed.

Re: Disney Open Source

#59

Can't wait for the Mickey Mouse repo in 2024.

Why? Disney has invested countless dollars into Mickey Mouse over the past 89 years. It's not like the Happy Birthday song, being hoarded without innovation purely for profit; they're actively expanding/investing/improving and making billions of people happy. Why should random companies get to legally print knockoff Mickey t-shirts just because enough time has passed?

The purpose of copyright law is only to "promote the arts and sciences". Note that it doesn't say anything about the individual creator.

There are two factors determining how much value a society can derive from the body of art created within: the amount and the distribution. (ignoring "quality" because it's unaffected by the following).

The quantity created and the distribution it gets are somewhat conflicting goals: If you maximize for distribution (all works are public domain), the amount that is created may be low because artists aren't rewarded financially / can't concentrate fully on their art etc.

Currently, the compromise is to protect a work of art for 70 years after the creator's death, assuming there are very few people who'd say "oh, I'd love to write the great american novel, but I fear my great-grandchildren won't be able to collect royalties on it, so I'll go be an investment banker instead".

Arguably, 70 years is too long to be optimal. Personally I'd say something from 10 to 20 years is probably enough, or maybe different terms for different categories like newspapers being protected for a week and movies for 30 years.

Re: Disney Open Source

#60

This is a showcase of larger open source projects used in the visual effects and animation industry. Several of them are contributed to by Disney engineers, but most people would not consider these Disney projects. Disney has open sourced and released some impressive open source projects over the years, and it's exciting to see their endorsement on these others.

Project: Originating and maintaining organization

USD: Pixar

OpenSubdiv: Pixar

jss-api-gem: Pixar

Munki: WDAS

Reposado: WDAS

SeExpr: WDAS

Ptex: WDAS

Partio: WDAS

Dynamica: WDAS

BRDF Explorer: WDAS

OpenEXR: ILM

Alembic: ILM and Sony Imageworks

So which one of these is not a Disney project, considering they all originated from and are maintained by Disney engineers?

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