Several questions about legality of putting guns into your game

[BinarySword (Benjamin D. Smith)]

@TimeSpirit;249121

There was a lawsuit over the helicopters EA used in BF 3:

EA Invokes First Amendment Protection for Video Games in Trademark Dispute with Helicopter Maker

Cheers for providing the link and I think the comment by the user AmishKamikaze to SG-17 on 1/08/12 2:18pm on the Kotaku comments section sums it up pretty nicely.

Really? Because Ace Combat and games such as Gran Turismo are vehicle SIMULATION games. They have to have the correct specs and abilities as their real life counterparts. A HUGE amount of development time is put to make the digital representations of the vehicles as accurate as possible. They get the licenses because it helps to sell the game. It wouldn’t be an accurate simulation if it was a game based of fictional speeds and body types.

You have to look at this from the big picture. Do you think if I wrote a story where the main character drives a beat-up Ford Ranger that I’d have to ask the makers of Ford? No. Do you think if a story is written that involves a certain gun that the makers of said gun have to be informed? No. With writing you can be as accurate as possible, you can spend forty pages listing details about the gun or vehicle and it’s all because you are taking the real and making it your own. Do you think artists should get permission before painting architecture? What about photographers making sure everything in their pictures are documented and allowed by their makers to be captured? Absolutely ridiculous.

[HR][/HR]

@TimeSpirit;249121

My advice- put the weapons in you want. Games have the same fair use protection as book/tv/etc.

Yes while I believe that to be a correct statement, you have to remember that these corporations see $$$ signs with the games industry at the moment however unless you’re some bigshot production house I believe you should be in the clear like others above have also expressed similar thoughts on the matter.