As I’m scrolling through my blog, I realized that I have yet to do a “what is a trademark” post. I didn’t plan for this post to be about that, so I’ll give you a one-sheet on it, and if you already know about this and want to learn how and where you should use […]
If you are working (or worked) on a game with one or more people, with the intent to earn money from it (at some point), you might already be in a partnership, which can carry some serious financial risk to you if things go really well (or really poorly). Creating partnership agreements (documents outlining the […]
DMCA Takedowns…ugh, right? If you’ve never been on the receiving end of one, it tends to prompt you to look up copyright law and figure out what the hell just happened. Since most people on the takedown side tend to know what the DMCA is all about and are actively monitoring their works online, this […]
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 […]