Hi, I wonder if its okay to use Q3 file format for my commercial games ? Is it against any copyright ? Thanks

Hi,

If my sources are correct, file formats cannot be copyrighted. So use away

I also don''t think that file formats are protected by copyright but there are other issues to consider.

1. (I do not know but) they may be protected by patents if id came up with some new and unique way to store data.

2. The only reason I can think of to use their file format is because you want to use Q3 tools (map editors etc) to make your game. These tools are protected by copyright and id provide them for use only under the terms of their licensing agreements. You may be able to use the file formats but it may be a breach of the licensing agreements for the tools to use them in creating your commercial game.

Dan Marchant
Obscure Productions
Game Development & Design consultant

Just send Idsoftware a email and they will tell you.

Go on an Intense Rampage

Wasn''t there some whole big thing a while back with .gif and Compuserve?

-- Steve --
Blue Fang Games

The guy who created the .gif format placed the rights with a company although he wanted it to be freely used by everyone. Compuserve then bought the company and announced it owned the .gif format and may start charging people for using it. Nothing ever happened.

Dan Marchant
Obscure Productions
Game Development & Design consultant

This has been discussed here and there...

You can freely use any of ID software''s file formats (BSP, MD3,etc), but you cannot use any of the tools ID has made for creating them, you need to pay them for a license.

Since most or all of the md3 tools are made by others (exporters for max, milkshape), there is no problem at all.

If you want to use the bsp format, you can do this as long as you do not use or distribute their tools. It costs something like 10K for a license. BUT you can easily do this legit by creating a converter which converts their bsp format into your own format (there are loads of 3d engines on the web which do this).

HTH

Mark

quote: Original post by Obscure
The guy who created the .gif format placed the rights with a company although he wanted it to be freely used by everyone. Compuserve then bought the company and announced it owned the .gif format and may start charging people for using it. Nothing ever happened.

Not sure what you mean by 'nothing ever happened.' Unisys has been collecting license fees for use of the LZW compression patent (required for .gif compression) for a while now.

[edited by - cheesegrater on May 31, 2003 3:20:48 PM]