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I am working on simulation middleware which is applicable for game engine implementations.

What I would like to do is to make it freely available for use for all non-commercial purposes, while at the same time imposing some percentage of royalty on revenue (above a certain threshold) that is derived from my work. Something very similar to Epic's UDK licensing model.

To facilitate the use of my software, I plan to offer binaries (static libs) for several platforms, as well as obfuscated source code which I will freely distribute, in addition to documentation of the API. I simply want to impose the restriction that if you try to make money from it, I get a cut eventually.

I'm wondering if there are online forums and such where I am likely to find people who are willing to assist me in terms of learning what sort of things I have to do to get things down on the right kinds of documents. So far a site like this seems to be the most promising.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Affordable for one person is not for another. Check your local area, see if you can talk to a real person. You're slightly less likely to get ripped off that way too :) \$\endgroup\$
    – House
    Jun 9, 2012 at 23:19
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    \$\begingroup\$ Real, true to life members of the Bar lawyers are famously averse to giving advice on public forums because their license is involved. What you can do to save time, and therefore cost, when consulting an IP lawyer is research licenses (like UDK that you mentioned) and have a precise list of questions for when you get together. Not trusting random people on the internet for legal advice just makes good sense. \$\endgroup\$
    – Patrick Hughes
    Jun 9, 2012 at 23:47
  • \$\begingroup\$ Will most lawyers allow me to record my conversation with them, so that I can review it afterwards? \$\endgroup\$
    – Steven Lu
    Jun 9, 2012 at 23:48
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    \$\begingroup\$ @StevenLu: You can take notes, if you like. Most people would be suspicious of someone wanting to record their conversation. \$\endgroup\$
    – Nicol Bolas
    Jun 10, 2012 at 0:30
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    \$\begingroup\$ +1 for someone asking where they can get legal advice, as opposed to just asking for legal advice :) \$\endgroup\$
    – Tim Holt
    Jun 10, 2012 at 22:43

3 Answers 3

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I was very pleased with my result from findlaw.com, http://lawyers.findlaw.com/lawyer/practice/Intellectual-Property-Law

I submitted a simple web form with a question about my situation, and this site forwarded it to a practicing lawyer in the field I selected. He responded promptly. I had chosen an option for 'offers free consult', and I did indeed receive a half-hour meeting for free.

In my case, I had been served with a takedown notice that I felt was unfounded. The lawyer completely answered my (very specific) questions about the matter. Unfortunately, even being on the right side of the law still requires more than half an hour of billable time. :) I was unwilling to pursue my case, but I would certainly contact that lawyer again.

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Borrowing my answer from another question:

I have no idea how capable he is; as always, Caveat Emptor.

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Gamedev.net has a forum for Business and Law: http://www.gamedev.net/forum/5-business-and-law/

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