Questions tagged [copyright]

Copyright is the legal right of the creator of a work to define how that work may be used and distributed.

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Making a game similar to other dungeon crawl games [duplicate]

If I was designing a game similar to Diablo2 however not using the same graphics, creatures, etc… but still making dungeons, overlay mapping, would that be copyright theft? The game idea is similar ...
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2 answers
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Can a game use mythology-related names?

For instance can a game for collecting pets (such as cats, dogs, dragons, etc.)include a list of mythological names and then name the pets using these names?
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Can I remake a game and freely distribute it? or at least privately keep the remake?

So I want to remake an old game and I don't know if it's possible to give my remake for free, and I'm planning to copy the assets like sounds and art, so can I give my remake to friends? If not, can I ...
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Is clothing/armor design copyrighted?

If I google ''fantasy armor drawings'' or maybe look them on pinterest, and use those drawings of random people to model 3D meshes of armors, is this a copyright violation or can I put them inside my ...
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Would using Minesweeper as a part of my game be illegal?

I want to use Minesweeper for a part of my game and I want to know if it's legal or not.
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Editing Pixel Art, Copyright and "The Ship of Theseus" Problem

(Please read the entire question before you crucify me :p) This is a question that has been on my mind for some time. Basically, How much of a sprite needs to be changed in order for you to claim &...
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1 answer
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Can I use unique names from other media within my game?

For example, Starcraft 1 has a unit called "Hydralisk" and from what I can tell, its unique to that game. Does this mean that I can't have a unit called 'Hydralisk' in my game? I'm not going ...
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Icons and imagery rights

Can someone tell me if the icons and images of TravianZ in this GitHub project are public domain? I need to create a similar game and need only the town / buildings images. Seems the project was ...
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Legalities of using song names in a music guessing trivia game

I have an idea for a new new music trivia game with a table top skirmish twist. My question is related to the trivia part of the game: are there any copyright laws against me using names of songs in ...
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1 answer
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Would making a satirical version of someone else's character get me sued? [closed]

Licensing the rights to a popular character is definitely a hard process. Rather than licensing the rights to (insert hero here), what if I were to make a satirical version of the IP owner's character(...
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If I use someone else's idea (not work, an *idea*), do I have to give them credit?

Ideas are everywhere for games, products, algorithms, etc. In hypothetical terms, let's say user number x posts on (insert social media site here) that they would like to see a game about (insert game ...
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can I legally make a "RTX game"

I'm making a game called "karlson RTX", a remake of the game "karlson" by danidev, but it has "RTX" in the name and the game starts with a the way it's meant to be played ...
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Is it possible to clone a game, and make modifiactions to it?

I basically want to know whether or not it is possible to copy a mobile game and make it into a new game by modifying it . I want to be able to access , moderation tools and basically alter, things ...
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1 answer
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What is the legality regarding allowing players to mod a game with real-life players in a sports game?

Let's say I'm doing an Indie sports game, and ship it with fictional players, but make the game capable of reading a config file, so that players are able to edit in real names to suit themselves. The ...
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2 answers
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Can I legally use movie sounds for game production?

Can I legally use short sounds from movies, like a door closing, in my game? Is there a way for others know from where the sounds came from originally? Does it matter if I apply audio editing to the ...
1 vote
1 answer
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Can I use 3d models I have created in Hexagon made by Daz 3d in commercial games?

I have been modelling in Hexagon for a while. I want to know if I can use 3d models I have created in hexagon in a commercial game as I have been planning to do one myself. I don't want to get in ...
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1 answer
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Questions regarding using (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) and (CC BY-NC 4.0) music for a completely free game (not Freemium)

I am in the process of developing a small video game for a game-jam on itch.io. The game-jam requires the developer to first make a github repository, upload all the source code and material (...
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How much of a game can be protected by law? [duplicate]

I want to remake an old multiplayer game in commercial way and I wonder how different my game has to be not to violate some IP rights. I know so far that name and logo are registered trademarks of the ...
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Can I publish a non-commercial game that uses assets from a 30 years old Konami game on Steam, Google Play and App Store?

Do major platforms like Google Play, App Store, and Steam allow apps to use assets without owner permission in case of 100% non-commercial releases? Do companies like Konami care?
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How can I not infringe on another game, while having a similar concept to that game?

The Call Of Duty game (Black Ops) has its story revolving around number stations, Mk-ultra brainwashing, black operations and Soviet biochemical weapons. I want to have my story's concept pretty much ...
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1 answer
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Can I mention other games' titles, characters, maps, weapons etc. in my game?

Let's say I was about to make a quiz game where the questions are like this: When was Fallout 4 released? What is your first pickaxe in Minecraft? Who do you have to kill as the last boss in Skyrim? ...
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1 answer
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Can I make a game based on the Star Wars universe?

I was thinking of trying to make an auto battler using Star Wars characters/ scenes. This game, of course, would be free/ have no intention of monetization in any way. My guess is this is fine but I ...
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Copyright information / issues (if any) for game

I have always been a fan of the game Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (let's call it simply HOMM3), which shined long ago, around 1998. For more information, this game was created by the 3DO company - ...
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Using movie names in a game

I am working out a concept of a game where I want to refer to movies. However, I am unsure if I can just refer to the real movie titles in the game or if I should change them slightly so that it ...
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Is it copyright infringement if I make a clone of a game for educational purposes, and upload it on github?

Pacman and Snake Xenzia are common examples, and many universities have programming assignments where you recreate parts of a game (or even the entire game) without copying any of the artwork and ...
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Do I need to worry about game name trademark when making a FLOSS game?

I am planning to do a small game using only FLOSS software (Free Libre and Open Source Software like Godot, Blender, Krita...). I am going to put it on Github with an MIT license so everyone can ...
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Is It Okay To Use Real Designs In My 2D Game? [Cars and Weapons] [duplicate]

I am making a 2D mobile game that includes cars and weapons (like GTA let's say). I am using real car and weapons designs to make 2D images, however, I use made-up names for the both cars and the ...
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Legal status of games with similar titles [closed]

I've been working on a game for around a year and a half named Planetfall, in which you build a colony on a new planet. I've bee working on it with that title since before the announcement of Age of ...
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How do i protect my game assets as an individual? [duplicate]

For my first games, they will be well made, complete, but extremely simple, while i father enough funds to actually fund a game company. But because I plan on releasing quality content under {insert ...
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How do I get rights to an game? [duplicate]

I' looking to get rights to an game called Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS. I am a Nintendo 3DS Developer trying to make a remastered version for the Nintendo 3DS. How would I go ...
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2 answers
726 views

Can I put a Creative Commons license on my game?

Title says all, I would like to publish my game under a Creative Commons license. What licenses can I use for a game if any?
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Make a game from a TV game show

I'm an indie developper and I'm planning to do a game based on a TV game show. I would like to know if I could have problems with the law if I do it. I know I should consult a lawyer but I can not ...
1 vote
1 answer
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Can I put real monuments like white house, statue of liberty in my open world game? [duplicate]

I'm currently working on open world game. But I am confused about one thing that, is it ok if I put real monuments and sculptures like white house, statue of liberty etc. in my game? Please help if ...
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2 answers
6k views

Can I remake a game I don't own any copyright to? [duplicate]

Can I remake a game I don't own any copyright to? There's a online browser game which I played 5 years ago. Some time ago, this game was shutdown because its developer went bankrupt. I want to re-...
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1 answer
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Public domain piece found on You Tube but recorded by someone else

I want to use a public domain piece found on YouTube but it was recorded in midi form by someone else. I only want sections of it, not the whole thing. Do I need permission?
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Can I use HL2 Assets in my free Godot game? [duplicate]

I couldn't find some good textures for my Godot game, so I am looking forward using Half-Life 2 assets. I have HL2 in my library on Steam. Can I use those assets in my game?
3 votes
1 answer
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Why can we use planes and military vehicles, but not other things?

Something sounds a little odd. It seems to me the status quo that if I wanted to put a real car or motorcycle into a video game, say a Toyota or a Ferrari, everyone would say that the default position ...
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Can I give vehicles its real names? (e.g. Skoda, Tatra) [duplicate]

I'm working on a simulator of old USSR transport. But my boss is telling me that I can't put real names on vehicles, but don't get me any proofs of it. I know that you can't put real human names and ...
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1 answer
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I see free asset being sold on another site. How and where do I complain? [closed]

We all know that there are many repositories and marketplaces for 3D models on the internet. The specific problem I have now is with this 3D asset for sale on a site. It was made for sale a short ...
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When to trademark my game/game company [duplicate]

I'm planning on building an online presence of a game I'm working on once it reaches a stage that would allow for creating marketing material (screenshots, trailers, etc). Should I trademark/...
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I followed a youtube timelapse video to make same 3d model in blender, Can I use this in my game?

I saw a youtube timelapse video about making a car 3d model, I liked it and followed the same, I design almost same looking model (90% same), Can I use this in my game? There is no license mentioned ...
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2 answers
218 views

How do I use images with copyright in my game? [duplicate]

Our game requires to show images from movies, cartoon characters, etc. but we don't know how we can include them. We have seen that games like QuizUp and other guess the pic like games have images ...
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2 answers
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Is it legal to make a fan game but only publish the gameplay?

If I make a fan game that uses copyrighted material, sounds, dialogues etc. from other games but only ever upload the gameplay/walkthrough of the fangame to Youtube without publishing it anywhere else,...
4 votes
1 answer
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Now that Articles 17 & 11 have passed, what should indie developers do?

Since on the 26th of March 2019 the EU has voted in favor of Articles 17 (previously known as Article 13) and 11, what should an indie developer who is based in the EU do to setup a game and a website ...
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Can I legally use mechanics from a game that is removed from the store? [duplicate]

There was a mobile (android, ios) card game that I really liked playing. Last year, the game was removed from the store and noone were able to play it. The company is still up. That game had a really ...
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2 answers
671 views

Is it legal to use a generic celebrity names in a card game?

Before tagging this as a duplicate to Legality of using names in a game?, please be aware that it is a more special case than that generic question So I am working on a card game similar to Cards ...
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2 votes
2 answers
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Is it legal to imitate a game without publishing it

If you're developing a game that's very similar to a game that's already published, both the game mechanics and the graphics but you're not publishing it, instead you're keeping it in your own ...
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1 answer
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Where's the line between homage and copyright infringement?

My current WIP game contains a music note collectible mechanic which allows players to play short tunes if collected in the right order (usually very obvious by the layout of the collectibles). So far,...
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Converting copyrighted song to 8 bit. Is it legal? [duplicate]

I would like to get a copyrighted song, convert into a 8 bit song and use it in my game. Is that legal?
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Does my companion app infringe copyrights? [closed]

I'm making an android app that is supposed to be just a companion app for a board game. Twilight Imperium 4 is the game, and it has a boatload of techs/actions cards/strategy cards with tons of text ...