Hello guys. Ok, this subject has been hunting me since the last 11 months. I have seen that everywhere, every company that shows material pre-release, like a beta or a screenshot has the "(C) Copyright" thing on it. Can you pay the rights of a game that aint finished? do you pay de rights for every version you get release? (beta, demo, etc etc?) When you get the copyrights, you get the rights from the hole product? just the code? I'm asking these because i want to promote my games before they are finished... Thanks.

Hi Gog,
Your questions aren't quite clear, but I gather you're asking how copyrights work.
Basically, you own the copyright to anything you create. So put a copyright notice on anything you create. You can also register your copyright with the Chilean government.

If you designed a game, created the graphics, and wrote the code and wrote all the game text, you own the copyright to the graphics, the code, the text, and the game's "look and feel." When you put a title on your game, that title becomes your trademark (which needs to be registered with the Chilean government). And depending on whether your code or your gameplay contain some unique new aspects, you may be able to also apply to the government for a patent.

I recommend you learn about all three forms of IP: copyright, patent, trademark.
Good luck
Tom

Thanks mate.

I thing about your answer... you mean that, i can ad a splash window on my game thet says: "(C) All Copyrights reseverved for "My Company name" 2006," without talking with "IP" people? What if i made a game based on an another companies branding? but the idea and code are all mine?

Thanks

In that case your walking a fine line. Not in the area of YOUR copyright, but in the area that you are violating someone else's copyright. You must first attain permission from the person or company who OWNS the copyright on the media you are making use of, and then clearly mark "Portions of this data are Copyright (C) TheCompanyYouAreStealingYourShitFrom", also remember, you still must ask their permission beforehand, or you will end up with a cease&desist, and perhaps even being sued for damages if they are desprite or pissed off enough.

EDIT: Also, you dont NEED to add a copyright symbol for it to be under copyright. Anything you make on your own is automaticaly copyrighted. That just clarifies it for the individual (which is a nice thing to do IMHO)

Hello Gog, you wrote:

>you mean that, i can ad a splash window on my game thet says: "(C) All Copyrights reseverved for "My Company name" 2006," without talking with "IP" people?

You automatically own the copyright in anything you create. If you are a company, your company automatically owns the copyright in anything the company creates. This is what I said before. You can use Babelfish to translate my words into Spanish. http://babelfish.yahoo.com/ or http://world.altavista.com/

>What if i made a game based on an another companies branding? but the idea and code are all mine?

Read this: http://www.sloperama.com/advice/faq61.htm

Quote: Original post by Goguigo
i can ad a splash window on my game thet says: "(C) All Copyrights reserved for "My Company name" 2006," without talking with "IP" people?

Yes that is correct.... Provided that it is your own original work.

Quote: What if i made a game based on an another companies branding? but the idea and code are all mine?

You're not allowed to without their permission.

Oh, ok. Thanks a lot about that.

The game i'm talking about (the ine I made) has its own theme, graphics, ... . Then, we decided that the best thing to do in oue situation is to sell the game with to a company, with its franchise or branding. So, with all that i have learned from you, i see 2 choices:

1) Get the IP for MY game, and then sell that game and change the graphics. But, the time we change the theme, we loose the IP? (not the rights that in nature are ours).

2) We dont get any IP and we offer the game just as is.

Wich one is the right road?

Thanks again guys

Hello Gog, you wrote:

>we decided that the best thing to do in oue situation is to sell the game with to a company, with its franchise or branding.

It's very difficult to sell a game to a publisher. Read http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson11.htm. It's even harder to sell one when you have to say, "and you can take out the graphics and use your characters instead." But if you can present your games to publishers, they might hire you as a developer to do work for them.

[Edited by - tsloper on June 19, 2006 1:19:56 PM]

Quote: Original post by Goguigo
1) Get the IP for MY game, and then sell that game and change the graphics. But, the time we change the theme, we loose the IP? (not the rights that in nature are ours).

Assuming that you will be asking permission of the IP owner and/or paying them a license fee then you could change the graphics of your original game to use the new graphics of this IP. However your lawyer would need to ensure that the IP license agreement defines who owns the IP (them) and who owns the code (you).

Quote: 2) We dont get any IP and we offer the game just as is.

Wich one is the right road?

Impossible to say. Do you have money to buy a license for IP? Do you have enough to buy a BIG IP that a publisher will be interested in. If not then the question is pointless because you can't afford the IP so you have to stay with your original graphics.

I can afford the code's IP.

I can not afford the companies IP lol :D

THanks a lot guys. My questions has been answered. Sorry about my english tho, i'm native from Chile, a spanish talking country. :D

Thanks again :D