Question about copyright

Xanpakuto

Hi im planning on making a small game using my own painted works and edited through photoshop. It's going to be one of those basic paddle ball games where the player breaks the blocks with the ball to score points.

Now what I'm scared about is the copyright issues. I don't have great knowledge about it but I know I can get sued for certain things. Like I said its my own created artworks edited in photoshop and game made is of course game salad.

If I were to make it a paid or free game, I'm scared to even continue because I might be sued for something odd.

So if anyone has any information about my situation let me know. Thanks

IsabelleK

If you made all graphics, etc. yourself, why are you scared? Who will know that you made them with Photoshop, or MS Paint?

Socks

Who will know that you made them with Photoshop, or MS Paint? . . . .

. . . . and even if they did why would it matter ?

@Xanpakuto

Copyright exists to give the creator of intellectual property the exclusive rights to use it so unless you are using other people's artwork or music or name (etc) then you have very little to worry about.

Xanpakuto

But isn't my game idea related to the original pong game?

Socks

But isn't my game idea related to the original pong game?

Yours and 100,000 other similar games, once your final product isn't obviously a direct ripoff and you've put your own slant on it then I wouldn't worry too much about being chased around the streets in the dead of the night by assassin Ninjas hired by Atari Inc.

And even if you did do a direct ripoff of the original, you'd need to sell a few thousand copies before you even appeared on Atari's radar - and even then they would likely just issue a cease and desist order and have your game taken down.

Personally I'm no fan of copycat games, but they exist, even the big games companies do it, Space Invaders is a massive hit . . . . so the other big games companies come out with Alien Invaders and Space Raiders (or whatever).

(P.S. I think you are thinking of 'Breakout' rather than 'Pong'.)

Xanpakuto

But isn't my game idea related to the original pong game?

Yours and 100,000 other similar games, once your final product isn't obviously a direct ripoff and you've put your own slant on it then I wouldn't worry too much about being chased around the streets in the dead of the night by assassin Ninjas hired by Atari Inc.

And even if you did do a direct ripoff of the original, you'd need to sell a few thousand copies before you even appeared on Atari's radar - and even then they would likely just issue a cease and desist order and have your game taken down.

Personally I'm no fan of copycat games, but they exist, even the big games companies do it, Space Invaders is a massive hit . . . . so the other big games companies come out with Alien Invaders and Space Raiders (or whatever).

(P.S. I think you are thinking of 'Breakout' rather than 'Pong'.)

Ok thank you so much. By the way, could someone come right out of the blue, take my work and name it theirs?

tatiang

I wouldn't worry too much about being chased around the streets in the dead of the night by assassin Ninjas hired by Atari Inc.)

They are too busy playing golf anyway.




On topic, people do all sorts of illegal and unethical things such as copying published apps verbatim and then selling it as their own. So you're wise to protect your work.

PixelMetal

Hi im planning on making a small game using my own painted works and edited through photoshop. It's going to be one of those basic paddle ball games where the player breaks the blocks with the ball to score points.

Now what I'm scared about is the copyright issues. I don't have great knowledge about it but I know I can get sued for certain things. Like I said its my own created artworks edited in photoshop and game made is of course game salad.

If I were to make it a paid or free game, I'm scared to even continue because I might be sued for something odd.

So if anyone has any information about my situation let me know. Thanks

Register your game as an original work with the US Copyright office - assuming you're in the US, that is - otherwise, use your country's Copyright service AND US Copyright office if you plan on releasing in the US. For an application, this will cover all included materials, you don't have to register each piece of art separately. If you wanted to be extra-careful, you COULD register all art under a separate filing, but it's not necessary to do so to be covered under the initial application filing.

Socks

By the way, could someone come right out of the blue, take my work and name it theirs?

They could and they do, TShirtBooth here on GS forums suffered this only recently with his game ZombieDrop.

If this happens and you feel your intellectual property has been stolen you can ask iTunes (for example) to have the game taken down.

Socks

They are too busy playing golf anyway.

: )

On topic, people do all sorts of illegal and unethical things such as copying published apps verbatim and then selling it as their own. So you're wise to protect your work.

Yep, this.