I don't think they would care less really, it's all publicity - which is why this thread boggles my mind, how many games are there where skins and the like are protected?! The only time I could see someone getting angry is if they were charging money for the skins, which will be a sad day if that ever happens (and if they were charging, wouldn't this defeat the object of team skins?).
Perhaps some people need to get of their high-horses and worry about more important things than their egos.
The main problem is (well at least it is to me), some teams an/or people like to have their own personalized skins and they want noone else to use those. PERIOD. What's so hard to understand about that? What's so terrible about respecting other people's wishes?
Regardless of what anyone thinks about the whole private skin thing, regardless of how stupid or egotripping anyone may think it is to want your skin to remain private, it's all just a matter of decency and respecting other people's wishes.
Many private skins have a notice on the skinfile saying something along the lines of "please do not use this skin, put it in your skins_x folder". Now if anyone deliberately just ignores that message (and sometimes even removes the notice from the skinfile), he's just a dickhead as far as i'm concerned. The opinion anyone has about private skins is completely irrelevant, it's about respecting the creator's opinion.
I like to have my own private skins. I love making them and I love using them. What I don't want is other people using them (well, some of them, I'm working on public skins too). That has nothing, i repeat nothing, to do with my ego. I just like it to be unique, that's all.
As for respecting people's wishes, my wish is to keep the skinning side of things open (as it should be in my mind) - you don't see companies like subaru or ford throwing a temper tantrum and/or suing the average Joe in the street for making a replica rally car for example.
***EDIT***
Mazz, I would be most upset if someone circumcised me without my consent.
There is a cool way. . Upload a skin with texts like I AM IDIOT, CALL ME IDIOT etc. to LFSWorld, then update your own skin with another name and tell your team members not to use the old one.
That's not an answer, that is forcing me to adjust because others are stealing a skin I worked hard on and clearly asked not to use. Bit of an upside down view if you ask me.
Well if that's your wish, that's perfectly fine. You can decide that. For your skins.
Not really a good example. In this matter it would rather be like Renault copying Ferrari's livery 1-on-1. I think there would be a problem. (or Ford copying Subaru for example, whaetver)
I don't think there should be a protection system or anything built into the game or the skin files. That's taking it too far imo.
Is there not a way where LFS could download the skins and automaticly put them into a passworded RAR (or another form of compression) file? That way its locked from anyone nicking other peoples skins and LFS can control it. And if some need to be deleted, (free up some harddrive space depending on the size) maybe have an option within LFS to view them on a car (small model maybe?) and delete it from there?
No, this is incorrect - this would apply if one LFS team 'stole' another LFS team's livery and raced using them. Mine was the correct example (random, usually new to the game players using a team's skin).
What about simply making your skin really personal by writing your name on it? I wouldn't drive a skin that writes a completely different name than mine is.
Doesn't work. I see people using team skins that clearly have member names on them. They don't care. I give them 1 option remove it or be banned from all of our servers. I don't care what team skin it is. If it's not theirs don't wear it.
sigh.. all this over an image that can be knocked up in a few hours.
Do you really care if people you dont know cant see the skin?
Just keep it within the team, end of problem.
Since its too much trouble for you to email the skin to your teammates, how about password protection from lfs world?
Wrong password no download. Again who cares if people you dont know cant see it, are you that vain?
There are people out there who would go out of their way to hack any encryption just so they can hack off a team. forget about the dev protecting you in this way.
I'm sure it's happening more often because of threads like this,let it go and get back to racing.
:fence:
I do. I like to see cars that aren't white. If everyone would think that "I don't know them, they don't need to see my skin" then we'd be back to 0.3 days.
Yes and if people keep moaning about this we may head back there. The devs may decide to switch off the skin system rather than watch the community self destruct.
I'm sure this issue pops up in all games that have player developed content, we can all retreet to our base's and dig in for a bloody war or just suck it up and ignore the few heretics.
. Upload a skin with texts like I AM IDIOT, CALL ME IDIOT etc. to LFSWorld, then update your own skin with another name and tell your team members not to use the old one. 
