Tagged Questions

1
vote
3answers
269 views

What do I need to do legally to protect my game with copyright?

I am in the process of writing a game and I'm wondering what the copyright laws about publishing this game are. I do not (for now) intend to make money from this. The beginning of my code contains a ...
-5
votes
1answer
41 views

Copyright concerns regarding game development [closed]

In recent time, us game developers face a lot of copyright issues such as: Using back ground images on blender as it may violate the copyright of the owner of that image Sampling even tiny portions ...
-4
votes
1answer
112 views

Can I use Nyancat for my game? [closed]

I tried to find the information regarding the copyright/ownership of the Nyancat but couldn't find anything concrete. Can I use Nyan as part of the name of my game? Can I use the Nyancat graphics ...
11
votes
3answers
743 views

Releasing a game without really having an officially registered company

I'm thinking of releasing my iOS game without formally registering a company at all. I'm not sure I even want to create a company. ITunes wants to know the copyright holder of my title. I have 2 ...
0
votes
1answer
191 views

Can I use an effect similar to “The Matrix digital rain” in my game? [closed]

I've created an animation (a series of textures) based on cmatrix program written for Linux terminal, which is distributed via GNU GPL license. I'm using standard latin letters and numbers (nothing ...
0
votes
1answer
126 views

Game loosely based on a copyrighted story [duplicate]

I want to make a game based on a copyrighted book. It's not about recreating it strictly with all details, but rather about building something new around the general idea (possibly incorporating some ...
0
votes
1answer
117 views

Having Your Own Copyrighted App Automatically After Publishing

I have a question regarding for the game app and in business. You see, I decided to publish an app to Google Play. When I published it, does this app automatically declared that this app is ...
-3
votes
2answers
242 views

Can I legally make a free clone of a game and use the same name? [closed]

I gather from Is it legally possible to make a clone of the game? and How closely can a game resemble another game without legal problems that I should not try to profit from a clone if it is using ...
1
vote
1answer
322 views

Can I use remade sprites in my game? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How closely can a game resemble another game without legal problems Can I use remade sprites in my game? I am making a game and I used some sprites, but I didn't copy ...
-1
votes
5answers
658 views

Is a programmer liable for copyright infringement in other people's mods to his games?

If a programmer (P) releases a game, and a modder (M) releases a game modification which includes copyrighted content, can P be held liable for the copyright infringement in the mod?
0
votes
2answers
409 views

Purchasing a TV show adaptation rights, how does it work? [closed]

Basically, I was thinking about a game based on a TV show, just for fun, and ended up thinking "well, it's not like it can be made anyway". Or can it? In the present situation, developing a game by ...
3
votes
3answers
492 views

Using “screenshots” in a game, is it allowed?

Lets say I have a game that is some kind of a quiz, and its questions are themed around gaming. For it to be interesting, I would need to make references to well-known games and game-related stuff. ...
7
votes
3answers
381 views

Intellectual rights to game concepts

For a client I might be making a small puzzle game about getting a item out of a puzzle. The concept will strongly resemble this game : ...
4
votes
3answers
408 views

Legal Lego game

As Lego (the old blocks not the 'new' hi-teck stuff) are now in the public domain, can I make a game where the graphics are made out of lego blocks? Well, I can, but is it legal?
16
votes
4answers
2k views

Can I use popular classical music as my game's soundtrack?

Can I use popular classical music in my game as a soundtrack? I'm concerned about copyright protection. I don't plan to make money off of my game. Will I break some law if I do that?
9
votes
1answer
418 views

What to consider legally when cloning an old game? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How closely can a game resemble another game without legal problems I'm going to make a game in the form of a 100% free Android phone app that will be basically a clone ...
6
votes
7answers
1k views

Can I use copyrighted sprites for a demo?

I just had a quick question and wanted everyone's opinions. I'm making a 2D demo game for a resume which I want to post online. I'm applying as a programmer position so I don't really have my own ...
1
vote
0answers
131 views

How would the GPL apply to these generated source files? [closed]

I am currently using Love2D as my game engine of choice and have come across the situation where I have had to retype out similar code over and over. In particular, if I want to add a new color to a ...
3
votes
4answers
914 views

Does a pong clone called “Ping” infringe on any copyrights or trademarks?

Long story short, I made a retro Pong clone and submitted it to the App Store as my first app. It survived for a bit, but I eventually received a message from Atari tell me to remove it. There was ...
8
votes
2answers
248 views

When should I talk to a lawyer about intellectual property for an indie team?

Let's say you have a team building a decent game and all is well technically and people-wise. You feel pretty sure you'll get to a product that can be sold. How does an indie studio (with good ...
-5
votes
2answers
392 views

It is possible to use Pokemon images in a game?

Is it possible to use Pokemon images, names, elements in a game I would like to make? Are they still copyrighted, patented, would I get sued? (Maybe their rights have expired by now, is what I am ...
13
votes
1answer
624 views

Must know legal issues when releasing a game?

Alright, some day in the far future I would love to independently release my own game. My question is, what is the minimum amount of familiarity I need with copyright law, software patents, and other ...
4
votes
1answer
304 views

When do I need to ask for permission to recreate an old game? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicates: How closely can a game resemble another game without legal problems Legal issues for a "fangame" of a commercial franchise? I want to do a mobile version of ...
14
votes
4answers
779 views

What resources can I use to determine if the name of my game violates any copyrights or trademarks?

I'm a indie/hobbyist game developer. How do I check that I'm not infringing any copyrights or trademarks when I release my game? I'm not making megabucks so it's not financially feasible to get ...
3
votes
2answers
675 views

Can I reuse the name of an old arcade game?

I've done an indie remake of an old arcade game from 1980. Can I use its name? I thought copyright expired after 25 years but I could be wrong, hence this question.
8
votes
8answers
1k views

Is it illegal to use a commercial song in your game (that you intend to sell)

If I were to buy, say this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fumBcKC6RE, strip/find/get the instrumental, and use that instrumental in a game I'm making, as a theme, say for a recurring boss ...
-3
votes
5answers
3k views

Can I get around a Pokemon copyright with new art and minor changes?

If I develop a game that is essentially pretty much Pokemon (you're a trainer, you catch "monsters" and put them to fight and level up etc), and I do the next things: I'm a trainer with a ...
0
votes
0answers
144 views

Copyright of some arcade classics [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How closely can a game resemble another game without legal problems So suppose I'm currently developing a variant of a snakes game for the iPhone, and you decided to ...
0
votes
1answer
355 views

Who owns the intellectual property to Fragile Allegiance? [closed]

Fragile Allegiance was developed by Gremlin Interactive, which was later acquired by Infogrames (Atari). I couldn't find any details of the acquisition though. The only interesting thing I have found ...
4
votes
3answers
794 views

Using modified copyrighted music in non-commercial games

Background: I'm making a retro style game for both fun, and an unofficial contest. I have bought a song, song X. However, I then found notation for song X, and all the instruments. So basically, ...