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I've created a game and I'm unsure how to license it or what that means.

I've heard of Creative Commons licenses. Should I use that?

I want it so that people that download my game cannot remix or distribute copies, even for non commercial purposes. What should I do in such a case?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Duplicate of "What is the “default” software license?" on programmers.stackexchange.com - no license terms implies "all rights reserved" which appears to be your intentions. The various Creative Commons flavors are all more or less pro-redistribution. \$\endgroup\$
    – Philipp
    Jun 5, 2015 at 12:58

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By default, you have exclusive copyright for every creative work you produce, which means nobody is allowed to distribute it except you unless you give them explicit permission.

The purpose of a license is to give the end-user rights they would normally not have. So when you don't add any license terms whatsoever, it means your end-users have no right to redistribute your software. Technically, they don't even have the right to use your software. That's what an End-User License Agreement is for. As you certainly know, it is common practice to have the user agree to it with a click during the installation of your game and also drop a copy in the directory where it was installed for later reference.

All the creative commons licenses allow non-commercial and unchanged redistribution, so when you want people to receive copies of your game only from you, the CC licenses are not what you are looking for.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ would I be able to sue someone if they distributed my game without my permission then? Thanks so much for your answer. It was extremely helpful! \$\endgroup\$ Jun 5, 2015 at 14:05
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Derpybunneh Yes, they would violate your copyright which should give you the right to sue them for copyright violation. Ask a lawyer or on law.stackexchange.com for details how to proceed in this situation. \$\endgroup\$
    – Philipp
    Jun 5, 2015 at 14:07
  • \$\begingroup\$ "Technically, they don't even have the right to use your software." This is incorrect, even in jurisdictions where EULAs are enforceable. Copyright grants the author of a work an exclusive right to make and publish copies, but not to use, read, view, listen to, etc. This end-users are already allowed to do without a licence. \$\endgroup\$ Jun 7, 2015 at 12:16

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