License question, and "is this a legal clone?"

Games Business and Law Business

Started by Exorph July 18, 2011 09:05 AM

14 comments, last by Exorph 12 years, 9 months ago

Exorph

105

Author

July 18, 2011 09:28 PM

I feel I am restating the obvious: You should still speak to a lawyer.

You are, I was just saying that you're probably right in the next sentence. :cool:

Anyway, that subject can be dropped. I probably won't speak to a lawyer, but I'll be more careful in the future.

I'm more interested in the licensing if anyone has any more input on that. I'm considering the zLib license for the stuff that's not graphics. I like its simplicity and the general message it sends. I'm asking my artist how he wants his content protected.
If he wants a strict copyright, will that mean that anyone who wants to change the lua files has to use their own graphics, or simply that they can't alter the graphics he's done?

frob

46,223

July 18, 2011 11:07 PM

I'm more interested in the licensing if anyone has any more input on that. I'm considering the zLib license for the stuff that's not graphics. I like its simplicity and the general message it sends. I'm asking my artist how he wants his content protected. If he wants a strict copyright, will that mean that anyone who wants to change the lua files has to use their own graphics, or simply that they can't alter the graphics he's done?

That doesn't even make sense. A strict copyright? Copyright protection with zLib?

Sounds like you need a primer on copyright. Visit copyright.gov and do some reading.

Exorph

105

Author

July 20, 2011 12:23 AM

That doesn't even make sense. A strict copyright? Copyright protection with zLib?

You're probably right. I'll read up on it.
What I meant by "strict copyright" was that as far as I know, if the copyright holder doesn't give any specific terms for a license, it's assumed that you can't do stuff like create derivative works or use it in your own projects. That these are rights you have to specifically give to the consumer?

Tom Sloper

17,203

July 20, 2011 02:03 AM

[quote name='frob' timestamp='1311030455' post='4837090']
That doesn't even make sense. A strict copyright? Copyright protection with zLib?

You're probably right. I'll read up on it. [Question that probably could be answered by reading up on copyright, AND asking the artist what he meant.]
[/quote]
So read up on it, and ask the artist what he meant.

-- Tom Sloper -- sloperama.com

Obscure

175

July 20, 2011 09:58 AM

What I meant by "strict copyright" was that as far as I know, if the copyright holder doesn't give any specific terms for a license, it's assumed that you can't do stuff like create derivative works or use it in your own projects. That these are rights you have to specifically give to the consumer?

You are correct, but the term "strict" is meaningless because the above is just how copyright works period.

Dan Marchant - Business Development Consultant
www.obscure.co.uk

Exorph

105

Author

July 20, 2011 12:27 PM

Well, after reading up on it it seems I was just clumsy in my wording there, so my question still stands.
If the artist wouldn't want to give the user any special permissions, but I give the permission to modify the binaries and lua code in any way the user wants. What would that mean for someone who wants to create a derivative work from the game and use the graphics that is provided with the original product?

License question, and "is this a legal clone?"

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