Re: Real names in a football game
O Martes, 14 de Setembro de 2004 ás 22:18:46 +0200, Isaac Clerencia escribía: I think this can be illegal (also team names?). Yes, it falls under trade mark protection laws. Since team names and logos, and players' names are big assets for their teams and national leagues (put Beckam's name in a 5-euro t-shirt and now it's worth 50 euros), they're defended very aggresively. Some football (soccer) games have been released with players with names like José García and Roberto da Silva because they couldn't get the rights to the actual names. I'd remove the names (i.e. change them to other, innocuous names) even without asking as I know the answer beforehand. I already have a version without player names ready to be uploaded, removing team names should take a little more effort. Use city names. Or common prefix + city name + common suffix (Sporting Club de A Coruña, Atlético de Valencia, Madrid S.A.D., Berlin 89, etc.), but this would possibly re-create actual teams' names. Or turn the teams into national selections. Country names (or any geographical names) aren't protected by trademark laws. -- Jacobo Tarrío | http://jacobo.tarrio.org/
Re: Real names in a football game
On Wednesday 15 September 2004 11:56, Jacobo Tarrio wrote: O Martes, 14 de Setembro de 2004 ás 22:18:46 +0200, Isaac Clerencia escribía: I'd remove the names (i.e. change them to other, innocuous names) even without asking as I know the answer beforehand. I've uploaded a new package without the player names. I already have a version without player names ready to be uploaded, removing team names should take a little more effort. Use city names. Or common prefix + city name + common suffix (Sporting Club de A Coruña, Atlético de Valencia, Madrid S.A.D., Berlin 89, etc.), but this would possibly re-create actual teams' names. I started doing this, but I got tired as there are lots of team names. I'll do it ASAP. Best regards pgpQd93bqg2XX.pgp Description: PGP signature
Re: Real names in a football game
On Tue, Sep 14, 2004 at 10:18:46PM +0200, Isaac Clerencia wrote: Hi, I'm the maintainer of the bygfoot package. It is a football (soccer) simulator game, and currently it includes some real player names. I think this can be illegal (also team names?). I already have a version without player names ready to be uploaded, removing team names should take a little more effort. What do you think? Using team names (and especially team logos) is a good way to get to the pointy end of a lawsuit. The names and logos are almost certainly under trademark protection, and generally aggressively guarded, since licensing names and logos to shirt makers (and game producers) is a huge revenue stream. Names of people are (curiously) less protected. It's probably defendable to use players' names in a game, but (at least in the US) it would likely attract annoying lawyers, too. I wouldn't recommend it. But then, I morally feel celebrities deserve the same protection in their own name as a corporation. dave...
Re: Real names in a football game
* David Schleef: Names of people are (curiously) less protected. Depends on the jurisdiction. If you use football player names in a football game, you'll most likely get sued (because commercial game developers have to pay $$$ to get licenses and the football organizations don't want to lose that income). It *might* be possible to get a license for free software, though, especially in countries where football is heavily subsidized.
Re: Real names in a football game
On Tuesday 14 September 2004 22:47, David Schleef wrote: Using team names (and especially team logos) is a good way to get to the pointy end of a lawsuit. The names and logos are almost certainly under trademark protection, and generally aggressively guarded, since licensing names and logos to shirt makers (and game producers) is a huge revenue stream. Names of people are (curiously) less protected. It's probably defendable to use players' names in a game, but (at least in the US) it would likely attract annoying lawyers, too. I wouldn't recommend it. But then, I morally feel celebrities deserve the same protection in their own name as a corporation. I suppose using only city names for teams would be ok. Right? pgpITuFghKcB4.pgp Description: PGP signature
Real names in a football game
Hi, I'm the maintainer of the bygfoot package. It is a football (soccer) simulator game, and currently it includes some real player names. I think this can be illegal (also team names?). I already have a version without player names ready to be uploaded, removing team names should take a little more effort. What do you think? Best regards P.S. Include me in the CC as I'm not subscribed. pgpC4aPCYviXi.pgp Description: PGP signature
