copy rights?

ok... i am a HUGE star trek fan,

im working on a game using sprites i snagged from google.

"for my own entertainment" and will probably upload it to here,

but that is about the limit. i wouldn't dream of trying to sell it, unless the creators took a interest in it, which i doubt..   any way,

just how far can you go with out getting a law suit with games you make on some one else fame?

Just edit the hue slightly and they can't say s*it.

lol thanks

No, changing the hue doesn't mean anything at all.

If you want to use copyrighted images you should seek permission from the copyright holder first.

This thread has a fairly long discussion about copyright in games. tl;dr to be on the safe side just use original graphics.

thanks guys

star trek is amazing series and i love to play it.

There is a loop hole essentially that, on the grounds you are not profiting from the works themselves, if you change the images by at least 20% (by adding or modifying with original content) you can claim enough artistic merit and intellectual property of your own, that they can't really DO anything.

In cases of fan made games, most copyright holders don't care.

On that same note, you can also go with the "fair and acceptable use policy" or if you are making a parody... it's also perfectly fine.

~Sol

There is a loop hole essentially that, on the grounds you are not profiting from the works themselves, if you change the images by at least 20% (by adding or modifying with original content) you can claim enough artistic merit and intellectual property of your own, that they can't really DO anything.

It's not really a loophole, though I'd love a source on those 20%.

It falls under the common creative laws licensing for Australia, at least. It may vary from country to country... but this is exactly how things like a parody works where an artist can take a tune and rhythm directly from a popular artist, change the lyrics (there's your 20%+) and have zero commitment to the original creator or it's copyright holders.

Do some reading on "Creative Commons". While the 20% may or may not be accurate (I know it's roughly there-abouts), if you change something enough then it no longer considered being in it's original state (even though it may still be instantly recognisable) you can get away with it.

An example in this particular case might be adding 7 engines from a 747 jumbo, and making the main hull of the Enterprise slightly oval shaped instead of circular. Change a few colours, add some pin striping and a small wing on the top... and there you have it. While it will look nothing like the original Enterprise, certain familiarities people have with Star Trek may still make it instantly recognisable AS the Enterprise even though it looks vastly different.

~Sol

how true

Maybe have your game load graphics externally, then have its default graphics as something hand drawn. You can then use whatever graphics you want personally, and not get charged for distributing copyright material.

Eg: In my game I'm planning on using some tracks I really like from other games in my own copy of it, but I found free music to include by default.