🎉 Celebrating 25 Years of GameDev.net! 🎉

Not many can claim 25 years on the Internet! Join us in celebrating this milestone. Learn more about our history, and thank you for being a part of our community!

Video of the game and copyrights.

Started by
5 comments, last by francisstevens 8 years, 8 months ago

Hello!

In our video for App Store we added personage Yoda of the Jedi for few seconds, a picture of Yoda is show and it is said "Skills of the Jedi"
Is this a violation of copyright? and how App Store will react?

Advertisement

There are many IP rights beyond copyright.

Both the words "Yoda" and "Jedi" are trademarks of Lucasfilm.

Visual designs of the Yoda character are owned by Lucasfilm and Disney.

Unless the "picture of Yoda" is one you drew, the copyright of the image belongs to someone else, probably Lucasfilm.

If the app store catches your unauthorized use, you will likely have your application blocked. They have options to do more, but they probably won't.

Lucas was fairly generous in allowing fan-made stories, not so much in fan-made games.

Disney will likely send their attack lawyers after you as soon as they discover it.

(Also, moving to Business and Law, since this isn't mobile specific.)

A wise move, it is not. Unless your game gets large, unscathed by Disney it may be. However, an unnecessary risk it is.

If you have to ask...

Of course this is copyright infringement.

Does the usage of yoda really add that much to the trailer that it is worth the risk of being blocked by apple or even getting sued?

Of course this is copyright infringement.


As frob explained, it's not necessarily copyright - but it surely is trademark infringement.

-- Tom Sloper -- sloperama.com

If your mark is registered, you are more likely to obtain enhanced penalties against any infringer’s who use your mark, including treble damages and attorney’s fees. The registration of mark can be a degnified.

This topic is closed to new replies.

Advertisement