How to publish as freeware game

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2 comments, last by _mark_ 12 years ago
Hi friends,
I am a beginner and I want to publish my game as freeware. Am I need to purchase any freeware license?
If not how can I write the license file?
making copy idea of a freeware license from any software is illegal?
If I publish a game as freeware, Can I publish future version as commercial?


Thank you.
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I had the same question a year ago. Finding a freeware license (not open source) is not as easy as it sounds at first.
The only real answer is: speak to a laywer

Eventually that was what I've done.

Hi friends,
I am a beginner and I want to publish my game as freeware. Am I need to purchase any freeware license?
If not how can I write the license file?
making copy idea of a freeware license from any software is illegal?


Some freeware games use Creative Commons, you could consider that.


If I publish a game as freeware, Can I publish future version as commercial?


That's your product, so you can change the license when you want. It often happens that softwares change their license.

[ About me ]

Do you mean that you want a water-tight licence to allow some free distribution whilst guaranteeing that people won't find loopholes to do things that you might not want them to do with it? Or are you asking if there's any requirement for you to release at all?

It's worth noting that in most countries, you own the copyright by default, which means others can't simply redistribute it (unless things like fair use etc). Though it's nice to clarify for users what they are allowed to do with it :)

I agree with the others that there don't seem to be any existing standard licences for closed-source software. Creative Commons licences are supposedly not recommended for software, but the fact is they are the only ones that seem viable for non-source content (whether it's media, or a binary). (I mean yes, there's the argument that FSF/OSF would rather people release the source; but Creative Commons are happy to promote non-Free licences, e.g., ones that disallow commercial redistribution.)

Have you considered simply making it open source, if you're happy to release it for free anyway?

http://erebusrpg.sourceforge.net/ - Erebus, Open Source RPG for Windows/Linux/Android
http://conquests.sourceforge.net/ - Conquests, Open Source Civ-like Game for Windows/Linux

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