Can you build a game using true history?

Community Community & Industry Discussion
1

Hello,

I was wanting to build a history game based off the middle ages and wanted to use Coat of arms and real names ect… But can I do that or do I need premission from the countries and or familys?

2

:wink: Ok now we can discuss. Copyright differs from country to country. So you will have to check if it is still under copyright in that country. There is an international copyright, but I think it wont be used in such cases.

but in general:
“the default length of copyright is the life of the author plus either 50 or 70 years” So when they haven’t refreshed the copyright you can probably use it.

Normally **names **are not under the copryright and you can freely use them (except of brand names!!)

3

Oh ok, so I can use names but stay away from Coat of arms? Do I just make those up?

4

Yes, just use the names and create the coat of arms by yourself :slight_smile: (but keep in mind that I’m not a lawyer…so I’m not 100% sure ^^)

5

LOL I know :stuck_out_tongue: I’ll try and look it up but thank you for the advice :slight_smile:

6

Coat of arms are managed by the College of Arms, at least for England, Wales and other parts of the Commonwealth. You can probably find out about using their work in fictional setting from their website.

As far as names go, people write books all the time about historical events. Sharon Kay Penman does a well written series of books about the Plantagenet kings. I’m not aware of any legal issues using the names etc. but again look into her work and see what issues she’s had.

7

Thanks Jc :slight_smile: I’ll go look those up today! Very thankful guys :slight_smile:

8

You can’t really copyright historical events, mythology and the like. Sometimes there’s works which build upon those, which may be copyrighted, however. I’d say you’ll probably be safe when it comes to names, but the Coat of Arms will take some additional research on your behalf.

9

So far I found out that Coat Of Arms is off limits LOL but everything else is free too use! Thanks guys!

10

I’ve never heard of coats of arms being copyright! That would be like a national flag being copyright.

More-or-less if anything’s over 100 years old it’s out of copyright. So any coat of arms from the middle ages is fair game.

Besides which almost anyone can trace their lineage back to anyone in history if they go back far enough. So you can claim the coat of arms are yours!

11

Well a coat of arms is family property and has nothing to do with copyright.

Copyright is only a means of conveyance of granting the rights to copy under terms and conditions for the purpose of reproduction and distribution.

Harry Potter for example once copyright has expired full ownership is returned to J.K. Rowling or her estate.

Yes copyright is a mess but the idea that all things have a copyright that will expire and the world is free to do as they wish are overlooking that creation of a work as a whole is property equal to building a bird house.

Granted an argument can be made one way or another but what is unquestionable is the law suits that are filed as habit when someone feels their ownership and rights are violated.

If one needs coat of arms best to make your own up and avoid the entire problem altogether.

12

I think with a coat of arms you’d be looking at trademarks instead of copyrights. If any of these that you want to use have been published in reference books you might contact the publisher to see how they got rights to publish them…