Myth: If I pay someone to create some art assets for me, because I paid them to do it, I own the copyright in the end product. This harkens back to basic copyright law. If you understand that, then you’ll understand who owns what when you’re making a game. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to understand. Copyright Law […]
Welcome to Part 2! My heart sings with…actually, my voice is bad enough, you don’t need to know how my heart sings, knowing you’ve returned for more torture. Fair Use By Game Users What is most often copied by users is either gameplay footage or characters/storylines, rather than making other games with copyrighted content. […]
Fair Use in Video Games – Part 1: Fair Use Basics ‘Fair use’ is generally in reference to copyright law, as fair use in trademark law is much simpler and far more literal. To say the least, fair use is a heavy hitter in copyright law—meaning it’s a complicated subject, but because it potentially offers […]
A buddy of mine used to work as tech support for a software company which did not, at the time, have an app (he’s now in the dev dept. for the same company). He approached me and asked my thoughts about developing an app for the company, and then selling it to them. My initial […]
First things first: the WGA is an integral organization to film and television production, and serves a highly important function to the industry. This post is not a criticism of the WGA, but more so of the myth I encountered in film school that we didn’t really need to bother registering with the copyright office, since registering […]
Hi! My name is Lauren Hanley-Brady, and I have a passion for entertainment law. I like to talk about the law and dispel what myths I can, as well as answer common legal questions game devs might have. Thanks for stopping by! While I am a licensed attorney, this is just my blog, and nothing […]