The Morrowind 2011 Graphical Project is at the center of a mod distribution rights controversy, opening debate once again over the internet’s free data processes.

Morrowind 2011 is a compilation of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind mods, for the first time placing many of the user-made updates in the same package to run throughout the entire game.
A single user, warwon, had been compiling the mods since Dec. 2010 and posted the completed torrent Monday, to the enjoyment of many Morrowind players. Some of the modders whose work was included in his package, however, weren’t so pleased.

Warwon’s Bethesda account has been banned and he’s received nasty emails from modders, some threatening legal action. The torrent link is still active.

Warwon has defended his position on his Morrowind 2011 WordPress site, which is still live, and on Reddit, where he first publicly posted news of his endeavor. He said he “really wanted to make everyone happy and give them a quick way of getting Morrowind up and running by today’s standards,” and didn’t mean to disrespect modders.

Warwon included a credit page and a zip file in the download with the names of all modders’ work included in the compilation, although he did initially express concern over author reactions: “The biggest issue with this how mad will some of the authors be with this? I do care about them I have included a credits file in the zip and here.”

One email reaction from a user named Sean outlined the mad modders’ point of view, as posted by Warwon: “The bottom line is that your compilation violates copyright law in about a dozen countries and a vast majority of the authors whose work was included aren’t happy about it. Fixing the credits, nice as it may be, doesn’t solve the issue of the whole package being illegal.”

Reddit users seem intent on keeping this torrent alive. How ethical is Warwon’s compilation? Are modders’ reactions justified? If you post something on the internet for free, do you have to expect others to use it in packages like the Morrowind 2011 Graphical Project? What could have smoothed this process out? Sound off with your thoughts below.