Hi all,
I would like to know if there are copyright issues by using words or concepts such as “capture the flag”, “biorifle”, “cannon”, “shock gun” etc… These terms are used by Epic Games. Can I use them in my games?
Some things are so commonly used that it is next to imposable to copyright them. IE: first person shooter, rope swing, etc.
I would think you would be fine so long as you don’t use anything that is specifically reference in an intellectual property. IE: ‘star gate’
If it’s copyrighted, obviously not. But there’s cases where a common term can be associated heavily with something. You would have to think if people are going to confuse your use of it with the other
Didn’t the developer of Candy crush successfully copyright the word Candy. LOL.
I would say no
Those are just common words and terms for game modes and objects. Most of them are used in other places or the real world.
Biorifles appear in games like Firefall and others as well. canons are real and used by militaries, but they are actual canons. Capture the flag was first introduced in the videogame “Bannercatch” in 1984; it was an educational game based on the real game capture the flag, which has existed for so long, no one remembers where it came from.
As a rule, avoid using anything that you think may cause legal trouble down the line, but also be sure that the idea/term is trademarked/copyrighted.
The words and concepts posted are not copyrighted as there is prior art that goes back as far as I can remember and one can’t copyright “capture the flag” no more than the can copyright “baseball”
As for weapons Epic is not the first company to use the naming.
The flip side though is being right is no safe guard against a bunch of bored lawyers on retainer looking for something to do.
So Can you use royalty free music from youtube?
No.
Royalty-free doesn’t mean “free”. It means that you don’t have to pay a fee based off of number of units or uses. Generally, you still have to buy these.
capture the flag, totally fine.
Biorifle, if it doesn’t shoot green blobs probably ok… shock gun, if it doesn’t shoot purple blasts as it’s function and then shoot orbs as it’s secondary which can then be shot and explode… probably ok.
Is there any music available that can be used for free in a game for commercial use?
Sure just look for stuff covered under Creative Commons Zero but be mindful that all things under creative commons does not mean the person posting owns the IP rights.
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