Question on the use of bought assets for Marketplace content

[Knobbynobbes]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if someone can give me a definitive answer on the use of content/assets bought from other online marketplaces in the use of products to be sold on the Unreal Engine Marketplace.

For example, I am currently making a blueprint project that I intend to sell on the UE Marketplace. However, I also know that any project that goes onto the Marketplace has to be visually impressive to have any chance of selling well.

Sadly, I have, at best, programmer art skill-level for making and texturing 3d models.

So, I go to CGtrader to look for some models to flesh out my project.

Looking at the license info for CGtrader models, I see their Royalty Free License:

“You cannot resell the model you bought in the digital or printed form, but can use it in your commercial projects multiple times after paying for it just once.”

That part sounds good!

“You can use it as long as it is incorporated into the product and the 3rd party cannot retrieve it individually in either the digital or physical form.”

That part sounds…maybe not good? If it is used as a minor part of a project with a different focus, does it run afoul of that rule? Hard to say.

So, I go to Artstation and look at their Extended Commercial License:

"If you have purchased an Extended Commercial licence then you may exercise your rights under that licence:

• with respect to any number of commercial Works, with no limit on sales or views."

That part sounds good!

“In addition to any other restrictions in this Agreement, you will not:
publish, sell, license, offer or make available for sale or licensing, or otherwise distribute the Product except as part of a Work or through a form of sharing that is authorized in this Agreement”

That part sounds…maybe not good?

I can wrestle with the logic towards either side all day and come up with valid reasons for why it both ok and not ok, so I want to come here for a more definitive answer.

TLDR; Is it allowed to use assets from outside websites such as CGtrader or Artstation in Unreal Engine Marketplace products, as long as the appropriate Licenses have been bought to use said assets?

[Quetzalcodename]

Hey @Knobbynobbes!

To get a more direct answer, you will need to write to Unreal Engine Marketplace Support. You can find their contact link here via the clickable “Contact Us” at the bottom of the page:

https://marketplacehelp.epicgames.com/s/?language=en_US

Hope that gets you the clarification you need!

[Hiraeth (Hiraeth Digital)]

Hello,

Based on your description and the markets you mentioned, this is not allowed.

@Knobbynobbes

“You cannot resell the model you bought in the digital or printed form, but can use it in your commercial projects multiple times after paying for it just once.”

This means you can use the model in a video game, a film or a visualization for example. Including the model with your commercial product constitutes reselling it.

@Knobbynobbes

“You can use it as long as it is incorporated into the product and the 3rd party cannot retrieve it individually in either the digital or physical form.”

Including the actual model with your product does allow 3rd parties (your customers) to retrieve it digitally.

The term “Product” refers to the final form of your work, so a video game, a film, a render and etc, not an item to be sold on a different marketplace with the model included as is.

@Knobbynobbes

"If you have purchased an Extended Commercial licence then you may exercise your rights under that licence:

• with respect to any number of commercial Works, with no limit on sales or views."

Purchasing an Extended Commercial License does not transfer ownership rights to you; that requires an Exclusive License.
With an Extended Commercial License, the creator of the model remains the owner and only they can resell it (unless they directly offer non-exclusive licenses to others). Purchasing an Extended Commercial License usually provides more flexibility (for example, when using the same model in multiple video games).

A possible solution would be using cc0 models, which are allowed to be included with your UE Marketplace products. From the Marketplace Guidelines:

2.2.d Use of unmodified public domain content is limited to assisting with presentation, while not being the majority of the submission, and the content must have been modified so as to bring new value to the assets. Sellers must cite the source and include a link to the source content in the product’s Technical Information that includes clear public domain usage information. Epic will verify via that link that the content is in the public domain and fully redistributable.

Of course it is always better to confirm with the UE Marketplace support.