IF I wanted to go about making a Star Wars mod(licensing)...

[ReDGuNNeR]

Why don't you write a well-written letter to Lucasfilm or wherever telling them that you are a fan, and because of your love to Star Wars, you want to make modification for you and other fans across the world. Explain that the MOD will make no profit , and you will steer clear across any main storylines, but will use common characters in the world such as the rebels and the stormtroopers. Tell them you will follow any guidelines that they set, including characters, settings, etc. thay you may not use, since you understand that they also make their own commerical games, and you don't want to harm their sales.... blah blah


Major points
-NO MONEY WILL BE MADE, A GAME FOR FANS BY FANS
-YOU WILL FOLLOW ANY GUIDELINES OR RESTRICTIONS THEY SET
-ADD ALOT OF BULLSHIT HOW SW IS PART OF YOUR LIFE AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE THIS MOD!
-AND TELL LUCAS NOT TO SUE YOU. PLEASE

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Well no, you see, the burden is on them to tell you to cease and desist. See, if you've widely distributed a finished product before the C&D order comes, then when it does you're pretty much in the clear. As you can shut down your "official" methods of distribution and let p2p and the like take care of the rest. They can't sue you as you complied with their C&D order, but you've won since your mod is now widely distributed anyway.

What on earth would be the point in doing this? To release a mod that you then couldn't support (patches/updates), that no-one knew you had made. Utterly pointless.

 

[babywax]

I've already started making models for something else, they can keep star wars

 

[Fallout2man]

Originally posted by PiMuRho
What on earth would be the point in doing this? To release a mod that you then couldn't support (patches/updates), that no-one knew you had made. Utterly pointless.

That's why you'd have to extensively (with extra focus on EXTENSIVE) test it. and the point'd be to release something cool everyone wants but no one will make for cash.

Oh, and emailing or sending a letter ahead of time is a big risk, see, if they say no, then you better not even think of doing anything related to the specific IP that you sent the letter for, for a very long time, as they could prove you willfully infringed, and that's a three year jail sentance right there, even without commercial infringement.

 

[Hipshot]

Originally posted by ElFuhrer
Just call it "5t4r W4r5" and use "L1ght54b3r5" and "t3h F0rc3". Then it won't technically be a copyright infringement.

It would still be as stupid...

 

[gh0st]

send him the star wars christmas special, and threaten to show it to everyone you know.

i think hed let you do whatever you want.

 

[babywax]

Or fake a video of him saying he hates black people

 

[The Dark Elf]

Originally posted by babywax
Or fake a video of him saying he hates black people

that would be a very silly thing to do.

 

[NoisyMonk]

It appears that I'm crazy and I've posted in the wrong thread. sorry about that!

 

[babywax]

that would be a very silly thing to do.

I was joking...

 

[SLI_Fallen]

Personally, I'm glad you are moving in a different direction with your MOD. Star Wars is so overdone (as is many..MANY military MODS) This is precicely why my team is going in a different direction entirely. I cant talk about it because I *DID* contact the developer that owns the rights to what I am wanting to use and am waiting on thier legal departments written permission. (and even afterwords it's likely it will be under an NDA) So contacting a developer does work, And if you are approved you have an exclusive.

 

[Dante]

i recently had the delema of trying to figure out copyright issues of another gaming companies "storyline & characters" into a mod for HL2, i found that as long as you keep them in the loop (from the beginning), be honest with them, and even ask there opinions and reviews of items being done, then they will be more then happy to let you freely advertise to a huge fanbase.

There biggest concern is you screwing up a name that they have built upon, if you did a star wars mod, and it looked/played like crap, thats directly reflecting on george lucas.

Again, to re-iterate:

Get ahold of them.
Bug them about it.
Have them approve key items (scripts, character developments, concepts)
Be honest with them.
Keep in contact with them.

If you follow all of these (from my experience) you should have no problem whatso ever in pulling this off legally.

See my Siggy and the Dead 6 Mod for what i am doing for proof (notice the copyright at the bottom as well, that makes them happy, no recognition makes baby jesus and corporations cry)

 

[Fallout2man]

Unless it's based on a Fox property, I'm sorry but based on Fox's history they would most likely never allow a mod made based on their properties, ever.

 

[Letters]

I'd really like to use some copyrighted MUSIC in a MOD... but I assume that I'd have to get permission from the artist to do so? Yeah... right... like that's going to happen... probably wouldn't even get a reply.

I really don't get it. Wouldn't you WANT your ideas, music, etc. around?! As long as someone isn't charging for it... what do you have to LOSE?!

 

[babywax]

They can't disciminate between the two, they fall under the same category in the law. Someone can start making thousands of your CDs and then give them away, not making any money, and make you lose lots of money. There's no way to disciminate between the two with the law so they give a catch all statement. Most of them really probably wouldn't mind if they knew that all you were doing was putting it in a mod, but if you put it in to your mod without permission and they let it go, I think the law says that sets a precident, for others to follow.

 

[The Dark Elf]

Originally posted by Letters
I'd really like to use some copyrighted MUSIC in a MOD... but I assume that I'd have to get permission from the artist to do so? Yeah... right... like that's going to happen... probably wouldn't even get a reply.

I really don't get it. Wouldn't you WANT your ideas, music, etc. around?! As long as someone isn't charging for it... what do you have to LOSE?!

There's a saying I heard once.

"You'll hear from the author if you ask them nicely, you'll hear from the lawyers if you don't"

true aswell. Contact an author, explain in a mature and sensible way what you'd like to do, offer them something even if you can't pay for it, credits or something else. Be nice about it and you never know. Some might even be in a good mood at that moment, and be so impressed someone got off their arse and asked first instead of thinking "yeah right, not gonna ask them, they'll never reply anyway" they might even offer to do a proper one for you.

Takes all of ten minutes to write a good letter to ask for permission, if they say no then its no, atleast you tried, they might change their mind later they might not. But its better than not asking atall and leaving yourself wide open for plenty of legal crap if they decide to go that way.

 

[Fallout2man]

There's a saying I heard once.

"You'll hear from the author if you ask them nicely, you'll hear from the lawyers if you don't"

true aswell. Contact an author, explain in a mature and sensible way what you'd like to do, offer them something even if you can't pay for it, credits or something else. Be nice about it and you never know. Some might even be in a good mood at that moment, and be so impressed someone got off their arse and asked first instead of thinking "yeah right, not gonna ask them, they'll never reply anyway" they might even offer to do a proper one for you.

Takes all of ten minutes to write a good letter to ask for permission, if they say no then its no, atleast you tried, they might change their mind later they might not. But its better than not asking atall and leaving yourself wide open for plenty of legal crap if they decide to go that way.

That would still depend on whom you ask. First of all, the author of music nowadays rarely owns the copyright, unless they're an independent artist. Which means you'd have to ask the music label for permission. They'd probably say yes but ask for a ridiculous price, like 1,000$ per downloaded version of the mod.

Some smaller ones may be okay with it, but the larger ones will probably ask for a lot before they let their IP go anywhere. They tend to dislike any publicity they didn't pay for

 

[Computer5k]

Get a nice looking disclaimer like here
ghp.flagrun.net