Hi, Ah, got you. Best Regards, Hayden -----Original Message----- From: gamers-boun...@audyssey.org [mailto:gamers-boun...@audyssey.org] On Behalf Of Thomas Ward Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2010 6:20 AM To: Gamers Discussion list Subject: Re: [Audyssey] free games
Hi Hayden, That's where you are wrong. Making a free game, writing fan fiction, using commercial sound effects, etc is not legal in the United States unless you get permission from the original copyright holder to do so. In most cases a copyright holder has specific rights how their trademarks are used and redistributed unless it happens to fall under the fair use section of the U.S. copyright law. Fair use generally means the trademark is used for free, is for specific educational purposes, or a matter of public review. That doesn't give you or me the right just to use the content in anyway we feel like, and provents us from creating derivative products freeware or otherwise without special permission. Here is a better way to illistrate the point. One of my favorite mainstream games is Star Trek Elite Force. Under the ffair use section of the copyright law I can write game reviews, walkthroughs, and talk about the game all I want publically. However, if I decide to rip the game sounds, graphics, cut scenes, etc and create my own game using the content Activision can legally sue me for damages regardless if I released it as freeware because I created a derivative work and broke the end user license agreement that came with the game. This makes it very messy for a blind game developer, like me, to use copyrighted trademarks, sounds, music, etc in a game as it puts me at risk of a major law suit. Legally the law would be on their side and not mine. It isn't fair, but that's the law. HTH On 3/24/10, Hayden Presley <hdpres...@hotmail.com> wrote: > Hi, > If I am not wrong, I do not see what legal foot they have to standon if they > tried to take it to court. Making Star Trekk a Registerable game might > violate it, but making a free ware with no Copyright is totally legal, unless > I am missing something (which is always possible). > Best Regards, > Hayden --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gam...@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gam...@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
