Hi there Assume that you live in a country with no copyright law. How do you sell your game in that country?In that country you can buy a good game like Max Payne 3 with only $1. I'm an engine programmer that live in Iran. In this country there's not the copyright law. I and my friends have started to make a game and will finish it one month later. Here's our website: http://www.zehneziba.ir In our country, some corporations use a commercial engine, create a game and don't get the license for that engine and sometimes get reward from the Iranian managers! Any idea about this situation? What's the meaning of game business in Iran? -Ehsan-

Many developers in China have accepted the fact that piracy is part of the culture and there is nothing you can do about it. MMOs are more developped there and even though you get the game for free, it's the added special items and dungeons keys you have to purchase online. That assumes that a) people tend to play MMOs a lot, b) they favor social gaming experiences rather than play solo, and c) there is a growing Internet infrastructure. It's essentially the only means you can get a steady and predictable cash flow from selling games in markets where piracy is engrained in the culture and there is no copyright law to change that.

Don't know about Iran, but it doesn't look like it would be a fertile ground for MMOs. Maybe cellphone games might be better in this context; it's difficult to bypass the cellphone network and operators tend to add a lot of security around downloadable content.

-cb

I find it hard to believe that Iran has no IP laws on the books whatsoever.
But let's say it's true. What is it you're asking exactly? Are you asking whether you need to be respecting the IP of others even if there are no laws against it in Iran? Or are you asking how you can sell your game in a market where piracy is the norm?

If you want your games to be sold outside Iran, ever, then you need to be respecting of the IP of others, be it engine technology or any other sort of property. If you just want your games to make money in a market where you can fully expect your games to be pirated, well, that's a problem you have to figure out. But I'm not sure exactly what it is you're asking.

Quote:

Original post by tsloper I find it hard to believe that Iran has no IP laws on the books whatsoever.

Iran has no laws on the CDs.
So what should we do if we want to sell our game in other countries?Could we communicate with US corporations, sell our game in US or earn money from them?As you know, Iran is isolated in these years. Could we sell our game in this situation?Iran is not a suitable market for us and we don't earn anything here.
-Ehsan-

First, you need to make sure you are within the law.

Unfortunately there are international regulations about engaging in trade with Iranian citizens thanks to the nation's international politics. Several countries, including Iran, have United Nations embargoes and trade sanctions against them. You should take whatever steps you feel are necessary in that regard, which probably would involve asking questions to a lawyer.



Quality software can sell very well globally, even if your local country doesn't believe in copyright or trademark laws. There are two simple facts that can help you out:

Fact 1. There are always people who will steal, lie, and cheat. They make life harder for everybody.

Fact 2. Honest people will not lie, steal, or cheat when you present them with simple and honorable ways to compensate you.

If you provide a simple way to pay for your software online, and if people actually use your software, then you will be able to make money from it. Although I follow the model of "pay $x for this product", other people (including one close friend) have followed the model of "Pay what you feel is a fair value for a license key, $a, $b, $c." My friend who has made several hundred thousand dollars so far with the three payment options. His lowest says it is for students and people who cannot justify more money, and the highest cost is required for all businesses and commercial users. He asks individuals and non-commercial users to be honest in paying based on the value the software gives them. He says that few people pay the lowest value for his software, and he is quite wealthy thanks to it.



Said another way: Even if your country doesn't require copyright law, honorable people will still pay for goods and services if you give them the opportunity.

If you want to sell it in a country with IP laws you have to obey the IP laws of that country. i.e. if you don't have a license for the engine, you couldn't sell it in the US or europe.

-me

As mentioned by others you would have to contract a company outside Iran to sell your game and there maybe legal problems/issues surrounding that.

An alternative idea for generating revenue inside Iran is to give away the game for free but generate income in some other way, such as in-game advertising or sponsorship.

How come so many of you are misunderstanding his question and thinking that he is asking about using the IP of others?

> How come so many of you are misunderstanding his
> question and thinking that he is asking about
> using the IP of others?

The OP's main question - can I make money in Iran and abroad - is fine and aligned with this question are the answers on this issue.

> In our country, some corporations use a commercial
> engine, create a game and don't get the license for
> that engine and sometimes get reward from the Iranian managers!

The issue raised by Palidine is if you are using this pirated engine for your game (a comment in OP's first post, see above), would you still be able to sell your game in a market where the game engine used is also being marketed. Say - you steal the Unreal engine, build a game based on said Unreal engine, and then expect to sell said game in the US without getting EPIC on your back.

-cb

Quote:

Original post by cbenoi1 > How come so many of you are misunderstanding his > question and thinking that he is asking about > using the IP of others? The OP's main question - can I make money in Iran and abroad - is fine and aligned with this question are the answers on this issue.

The question, as I understand it, is "How can I make money when everyone is pirating and violating copyrights?", not "Can I make money off my game where I have violated copyright laws?", which many of the replies seem to be answering. Personally I don't see anything in the OP's post indicating that he has violated any copyright laws, but that he is concerned that HIS rights might be violated.