I know this might be right for the business forum, but hey. What happens if I create a freeware game and distribute it to test my game SDK. I choose to make a badass FPS/Max Payne-style game with the Giger alien as the enemy. The thing is - it''s very good and scary and the puplic really likes it... What could happen in terms of Licences, lawsuits, money and all that other capitalistic junk?

well, if you don''t use anyone else''s copyrighted material (i''m not sure if that is what you meant by "giger alien", or if you are using an unliscenced version of a game engine or something) without permission, you shouldn''t get sued.

Everything would be original work except for the shape of the creature. The game would need no reference to the Alien movies at all.Just how much could a 'form' be copyrighted or made into IP?
I'm just really keen to build a game based on that creature and it's biology as a tech demo to my engine when it's ready. I think I could do it better than all previous attempts. Haha, how's that for inflammatory.

[edited by - AntiVeggieBoy on June 21, 2003 7:57:49 PM]

I just read about a game called "freecraft" that was called to cease and desist because of "similarities" to some other no-name brand game ...

Who else here thinks the Giger alien is the perfect monster? I suppose it just makes the right use of all the best cliches, spikes, teeth and slime.

"giger alien" means the thing that ripley keeps blowing up in all those ALIENS movies? ok, i never heard that before (what, is that the designer''s name or something?)...

you definitely should not use anything close to it, i remember someone recently being shut down because they used that alien in a game (and it wasn''t a commercial project either, just some guy writing a small game).

yeah, Fox doesn''t tollerate ANYONE using their property, physical or intellectual, for ANYTHING! Even if you are not making any money off of it, you''re still sue-able!

Check out another post from like a week ago or so.
Here. He made an aliens game (pretty cool too) Read some of the replys to that post to get more info as to why you can''t use even something resembling and Alien in a game.

Check out:
http://www.gaminggroundzero.com/home.html

Go to "Interview",
IP Attorney 2 Interview on Copyright 2

Yup, to the business forum this goes.

You really should try to keep things as original as possible, and if you really aren''t sure, you can hire a lawyer to search for trademarks you may be infringing on. Also don''t forget you can protect your IP''s by registering with the government for about $50 a trademark, that should really help you in a courtroom if it ever came to that..

As I said in the other thread I know for a fact that Fox went after a software co who just had an alien image in their game (no other reference) and the company paid several hundred thousand dollars.

Dan Marchant
Obscure Productions
Game Development & Design consultant