Hello all. I wanted to ask a question about releasing someone else's game on a mobile platform. If I were to port a game over to a mobile device, what contract or legal stuff would i have to have in place ie So I have written permission for the port to take place For any revenue split To say that this should be the only version of that game on device 'x' for y amount of time? and in what form, as this would just be a small project and dont have money for lawers etc but wouldnt want to be in a situation where time has been spent on a project and if the original game owner decided they didnt like the port/ wanted to port themselves / any other issues came up that it would end up as the project resulting in wasted time. Thanks for any pointers! rackham

To develop and release a port of someone else's work, you will need to work with an actual lawyer.

There are many things you need rights to. It is not a simple one-size-fits-all contract. Your collection of agreements will include permissions to the copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property. It will discuss ownership of your work, and how it relates to their works. It will include permissions to distribute the product, with details about how and where you can distribute it, and for how long. It will include permissions about advertising. It will include details about what happens when your project ends or is purchased or otherwise goes away. Contracts typically require you to offer them something in return.


Find a games industry lawyer if you can. If not, find a good technology business lawyer.

Quote: Original post by rackham
as this would just be a small project and dont have money for lawers etc but wouldnt want to be in a situation where time has been spent on a project and if the original game owner decided they didnt like the port/ wanted to port themselves / any other issues came up that it would end up as the project resulting in wasted time.

Unless you know what you are doing the contract you produce yourself is unlikely to provide the protection you seek. If the game is actually worth licensing it is likely that the owner will want a license fee up front. If that is the case then it would be unwise to proceed without a proper contract in place.

A list of games industry lawyers can be found at http://www.obscure.co.uk/directory/directory-legal/.