Hi!
Well, about the situation...
To be honest, i would prefer ignore message like "x user (Bobbysharks) took MY sprites (MugenFutaCharsMaker) from x character and create a new version , please remove it". Of course, that's not what he said
I would prefer to let creators to take sprites wherever it comes from and then they create new characters better that the "x" versions created by x creators. As you said Mugen creators work on base characters all the time. BUT it's not so easy.
Yes, MugenFutaCharsMaker is not the owner of Angelia but that character have code or sprites created, modified or improved by him and if he don't want other authors use that codes/sprites for their own characters/stages, i have to respect that decision and remove them. The solution is You ask for permission before to use the code/sprites he made and try to convince him OR create your own version without that codes/sprites.
This is not about favoritism, MugenFutaCharsMaker is not the first author who told me he don't want other authors use their codes or sprites and upload them to HCM. There are others authors but i won't say more names.
So after i had this kind of problems some years ago, i had to ask to creators about this, "what did you think about this situation? What do you prefer?"
The result was...
- If x creator want to use sprites/codes created by x creator, he should ask for permission before use them.
- Creators have to give credits to others creators if they use their code/sprites, Always!
- if no one sends me a complaint about x character/stage uploaded to the site, then it's OK! Because that should means creators agreed... or the original creator doesn't know there is a new version of his character/stage
Fortunately, 90% of creators agree to others users use their codes/sprites for their own characters/stages, maybe you just need to ask permission before to reuse them.
Maybe tomorrow gettag, viket or other creators won't want other creators use their codes/sprites and i have to respect that decision or maybe you Bobby create new sprites for x character and you don't want other users use them for their own version of characters, and i will have to respect it and remove characters created by other creators with your code/sprites until they create their own version of that codes/sprites.
I could ask again to everybody about this kind situations and made a poll... and maybe let all creators to use sprites/codes wherever they get them, ignore message like "remove them because ..." but that that means
everyone will have to abide by the same rules, without favoritism as it is now. Everybody use sprites/codes wherever they get them ... or everybody use sprites/codes but asking for permission before use them (as it is now).
In my opinion, i prefer everybody use sprites/codes wherever they get them but always giving credits to the respective creators. I think that's an easy way to make new characters, no strings attached, but that's just my opinion from someone who would like to see more and more characters, i'm not a creator.
If some creators agree, we can made a poll about this
And just to clarify... the forum is more free. Here you can upload your characters/stages, just giving credits to their respective creators, but as i said before, if creators want a new poll about permissions using sprites, etc, we can make it and change that rule on the main site HCM.