Questions tagged [legal]
As a business, game development is fraught with legal concerns and issues, especially on copyright, terms of service, and licensing fronts.
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Can I include social networks' name and logo in game credits without incurring in legal issues?
I'm planning to release an alpha version of a video game I'm working on as a personal project. I'm also creating a "Credits" section, that is meant for me to give credit to used sources, and to other ...
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Can I legally use retro video game music in a quiz game?
I am considering making a video game music quiz game, where you guess the game that the music is taken from. For example from NES and SNES games.
In that regard I was wondering if anyone know of any ...
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Can I legally remove the default Unity splash screen by removing it from the APK?
While using Unity I export an Android game as an APK. When the APK is run, the first thing that is displayed is the Unity splash screen. I worked out that I could replaced that image by opening the ...
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RPG Maker MV and outside screenshots
I'm looking into starting a project on RMMV; a medieval fantasy with a heavy focus on storytelling. For part of that storytelling, I was hoping to include "cutscenes" composed on images and text to ...
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intellectual property and non disclosure agreements on artwork
I am developing a game and would like to work with an artist. I am interested to know what other developers have done with regards to creating characters. How does one draft up agreements that might ...
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Adding actors/musicians/famous people in a videogame [duplicate]
Let's say I want to make a videogame with several famous characters in it, you can't copyright a name and a face, right (I'm talking about names and surnames, not branded ones)? How does it work? Are ...
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Can I use my self made piano version of a popular copyrighted song as my game background music?
I am making a game, the theme of the game is kind of romantic, and I, myself, have made a piano version of a modern pop song that would fit with that theme. The song in question is still under ...
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Who should be contacted to request permission, for commercial songs (and cost ballpark)
While playing to Fifa, it occurred to me that there is probably a license that EA pay to musicians to play their songs in their game.
Does anyone know if there is a standard license for indie games, ...
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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 fight,...
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Whose name should I put next to my copyright notice? [closed]
I've seen other developers put their own names next to their copyright notice while others choose to put their studio name instead.
I read that having a studio name could potentially protect me ...
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How legal would it be to use some elements of the Half Life universe in my non comercial, indie game?
I'm planning to make a simple, HTML5 game, that would use some elements of the Half Life universe. Basically, it would be a 2D Portal clone, but it would have it's own story, and portals would be ...
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Can Google Translate's audio files be used in a game?
For my game, I need text-to-speech. Since it's Android, I decided to settle for MP3s, since the range of words spoken is few.
For my prototype, I'm using Google Translate to generate the audio since ...
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Can copying assets be legal if I'm not intending to make money? [duplicate]
I very recently started going through game development tutorials and I was thinking of trying to mimic a game I know as closely as possibly just to see if I can do it as a first project.
I wouldn't ...
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Will using similar/exact name to a current Marvel superhero name for your game be a problem?
I have heard that the word 'superhero' is trademarked by marvel and DC and thus we can't use superhero as part of the name of a game we develop. But I wonder do they also have exclusibe rights to all ...
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How does copyright on sources work [closed]
If I want to create a game in which I use sources from another game that has copyright is illegal. But what if I use screenshots from a 3D game to make another 2D game (something like a questionnaire)?...
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I want to make a racing game.Can I have licensed cars without paying for licenses? [duplicate]
My idea was something similar to rFactor, but very easy to mod. There will be a step by step tutorial.
If I or somebody from the developers make the mods and publish them, do I still need licensing? ...
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Am I allowed to release an app I developed with Xcode on windows?
I want to develop an app for the iOS app store, but don't want to invest in a mac since they start very expensive. So I considered running Xcode via VMware using OSX Lion on my windows 7 computer. ...
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Can I legally call ninja techniques "jutsus" in a game?
I'm making a game inspired by the anime Naruto and I want to use the word jutsu, used in the anime to mean ninja techniques. Can I do that?
Does the answer change if I change the techniques' ...
CommunityBot
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Questions on the legal protection of games and their parts (assets, sounds, title)
we started new pirate game, and I just want to ask some questions about rights. So I am new in game dev, I guess there are a lot of answers, but I guess professionals can advise something for first ...
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Legal restrictions if using Google Analytics on PC game?
I'm thinking of using Google Analytics to collect various user information (including hardware information) in my PC desktop game I'm making with Unity.I figured I can do this by setting up a new ...
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Apple iOS review and interpreted code download/execution
I'm looking for some information regarding two specifics rules of the App Store Review guidelines. More specifically rules 2.7 and 2.8 :
2.7
Apps that download code in any way or form will be ...
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Are metal slug art assets free use?
I'm making a mobile game and I've gotten by with completely free art assets so far, but I have an explosion from metal slug. I love it and it's perfect, but I don't want to get sued. I've seen metal ...
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Deferring royalties for assets until revenue is earned
I am developing a game and I want to use some assets that are available online for a fixed price, I want to sell my game and actually make money off of it. I have contacted the owners and they will ...
Almo♦
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Where can I find legal or business resources for a game production company?
Where can I find information on the legal or business aspects of running a game production company?
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When are games legal to mod? [closed]
I'm just curious when and what games are legal to mod and what are the processes I must follow to keep the mod project from becoming illegal. To be specific i'm trying to do a side project while in ...
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Can I use someone else's music/midi? [duplicate]
The music in question is not exactly owned by the other individual either, as it's simply an arrangement of a game's soundtrack as a midi or music sheet.
Am I allowed to use these in my videogame? ...
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Soccer national teams uniforms and copyright when developing a soccer game
I have a project to be accomplished in a distant future about a soccer game.
I´ve read that you can´t feature the actual national teams uniforms without getting permission from FIFA.
Is this only for ...
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Can I include a public domain book in my game?
Just for fun, I want to include a bookshelf in my game with a real book (or few) that you can actually read.
Would I run into any legal trouble if I included an out of print book in the public domain,...
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Can I put real people in my game?
When and how can I use the likeness of real people in my game? What are the legal restrictions involved?
Real people are rarely found in games because it's hard to present them tastefully, but they ...
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Alternatives to the GPL
I made a game, and I am currently making a game engine. I want them both to be completely free and open source. What license should I choose? I was reading a bit on GPL, but that seems to be more ...
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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.
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Personal Custom Card Game [duplicate]
I had the idea, to make a custom card game based off an Anime i like. I was wondering if it would be legal to have such printed out (using a custom card/board game service) for personal use. I would ...
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Are references to other games considered an infringement of copyright?
My team frequently reminisces about the games we grew up with in the 1990s, and we'd like to include references and Easter eggs that pay homage to this decade and that will invoke nostalgia or even ...
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Can names of abilities or spells within a game be trademarked/copyright? [duplicate]
Okay, say I want to create an RPG similar to and takes inspiration from such games as Final Fantasy, The Elder Scrolls, Shin Megami Tensei, Pokemon, etc. and I would like to use familiar names in some ...
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What do I need in order to receive payments from Valve?
I'm developer from Russia and I recently passed Steam Greenlight.
Now I'm stuck on the Valve program enrollment phase. From what I've seen in the Valve forms, it is not necessary to create a company, ...
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How should I license my game so others may not distribute copies?
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 ...
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Legal issues around forming an international game dev team
A friend and I have been wanting to collaborate on a mobile app game. It's a 'start small but dream big' kind of venture, where neither of us has much experience, but we're hoping that if we succeed, ...
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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 art....
CommunityBot
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Legality of AngelCode's BMFont
Is it legal to use a bitmapped version of a proprietary font (such as Arial) in a commercial app?
I'm using AngelCode's BMFont to generate a bitmapped version of a few various system installed fonts ...
CommunityBot
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Legal Implications of using Openal in Opentk Commercially
Myself and my friend are currently creating a game, which we plan on selling upon its completion. We are using opentk.
I read over this: http://www.opentk.com/node/532 , and it pretty well describes ...
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Am I allowed to release a fan-made version of a Trading Card Game on a fansite? [duplicate]
Consider a Trading Card Game that is currently available for play in digital format only, the game in question would be HEX: Shards of Fate, but this question is intended as a general question about ...
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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 ...
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How or when to add a copyright notice in published games?
I've seen lot of videogame title screens show a copyright notice together with the company name. I'm about to publish my game and I am looking for possibilities or requirements on how or when to add ...
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Is using the student version of 3DS Max and Unity3d legal?
I am developing an indie game together with my friend using Unity3D engine. I bought "Silo 3D" for modeling two month ago and for texturing I use 3D coat. We plan to sell our game in the future. For ...
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Am I allowed to name a game after some song?
Just to ask a quick question, which I don't know where to ask: If I were to make a game, would I be allowed to call it "Buffalo Soldier [some more words]"? Since it's a song by Bob Marley I am not ...
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Can I get around a Pokemon copyright with new art and minor changes? [duplicate]
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 6-"Monsters"...
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What level of use can I give to these third person IP based art assets?
I'm making my first game (2D), and while details are irrelevant it compromises lots of spaceships in and out of the screen. They are not the main character or controllable by any means (I don't know ...
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Is it OK to use player supplied music in my game?
Is it copyright infringement if I create a game based around music beats but allow the players to use their own mp3 files?
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Do I still owe Epic royalties if I am not enrolled in the Unreal Engine subscription?
I have just started using Unreal Engine 4 and I have had a very good experience, though I have left the subscription now.
I've made an Android game with it and I am planning to release it, but I have ...
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What legal matters do I need to consider when releasing an MMO?
Let's say I've finished programming an indie MMO game similiar to Tibia. I've got:
a stable server application ready to launch;
a tested, bug-free, working client application ready to play;
the game'...
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