PauGNU wrote:As far as I know, if the code is GPL and they modify it, they have to share the code if ask for it (not in cases of private use, but the Internet is not private use at all). So I guess it depends completely on the phpbb styles license.
Prosilver itself is GPL, although any edits they made themselves aren't.
I'm not 100% about the code they used, although the images are definitely protected by an unsigned intellectual copyright. They aren't obliged to share them with you, and can file a DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) Copyright Infringement complaint against you if you ripped them for use on your own site without permission. It's probably worth mentioning that DMCA violations include re-producing images to make them look like originals, your site can even be suspended for "looking" remotely like theirs if they accuse you of it. It's probably also worth mentioning that if the party filing a complaint against you also forwards the same complaint to Google, your site
will incur a hefty penalty or even complete removal from their rankings if they adjudge the complaint as valid.
Even if were able to force the code out of them one way or another, they can still file a complaint against you for re-creating the corresponding images. At the end of the day it is a nice style, but you have to remember somebody somewhere will have spend a decent amount of time coming up with the design concept and then coding it. It wouldn't be fair to just come along and cause them all kinds of inconveniences by trying to force them to share the style, or waste their time filing DMCA complaints against you.