Have you created an Indie game? With what steps?
interpolator
Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking "how you model dem games?" Some coworkers and I have gotten permission to work on our own game on the side and I am curious as to what steps you may have taken to create, secure, and develop your own IP. We'll be using Unity and focusing on creating for the mobile game platform (iPhone, iPad, and Android devices mainly. Some thing I would appreciate information on are-
- Securing a name and copyright for the IP
- Same as above but for studio name
- Watching out for patent trolls
Replies
Pixel Prospector - The Big List of Business Resources
http://underdevelopmentlaw.com/blog/
http://www.gamesbrief.com/
I hope that helps, good luck!
and yes. thats legit. I know a copyright lawyer. though, thats just to protect your ideas and what not. i think once you get established, you`ll want to do all the paperwork and stuff. but i dunno how to go about doing that.
studio name, i blieve you have to register somewhere?
Went down to the local government office and paid i think it was $50 to do so.
Bought the domain first then went down and they check make sure its not taken.
You get a tax id number and have to report taxes on sales every quarterly.
Are you positive on this, I've heard otherwise. Also the things pointed out in this article seem to say otherwise as well. Double check with your copyright layer friend to make sure. http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2006/08/25/the-myth-of-poor-mans-copyright/
http://indyalpha.blogspot.com/
interesting read
Anyways, it was really interesting to watch. They were pretty real about what was going on and it was very inspiring to watch them progress. Sadly, I don't know what ever happened to their game.
The question isn't about whether or not to copyright the game. We fully plan on doing that just for the sake of protecting ourselves. It's more so about how to actually go about copyrighting it and the proper legal process required for starting our own company.
Thank you guys so much. I'll have plenty of reading to catch up on I think.
I think you may be confusing Copyright, Patent, and Trademark.
You need to Trademark the NAME and LOGO of the game and company.
You Copyright the game, or rather the works created that make up the game. (Not really as important as the trademark.)
You don't need a patent. That's for inventions.
Before you Trademark you can do a trademark search:
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=tess&state=4001:8qle5p.1.1
Search for individual words in the title/name as well as combinations of them. You don't need to worry about Copyright until you are all done with the game.
But honestly like dolemite said, "Just start making a game." Don't tell anyone the working title just call it something like Project Praetus. If you get close enough to the finish line then start filing TradeMarks. We worked on Orcs Must Die for about 6 monthes before we decided on the title, then we trademarked it.
If you are making a Car Racing game called "Land of Speedos." But you find out there is a beachware clothing line called "SpeedoLand." It's probably still okay. But if it's a magazine about cars or racing, then it may not be okay.
For example, in our Orcs Must Die trademark we listed that we would be making video games, toys, comics, and several other entertainment mediums.
Making the game isn't the problem as we are experienced developers. However we know next to nothing about starting a company, that's the real issue.
trademarking costs money, so hold off on it. Also a trademark must be used within a certain time frame or it expires - this means you're either actively working on a project related to it, or you already finished it.
copyright exists the moment you create something. No need mailing yourself anything (or do you guys think Blizzard, Disney and Co have a room full of unopened envelopes?). The whole "mail it to yourself" myth is some "clever" idea to prove you were the first to create a piece of art because someone thought that sealed letters are so terribly secure. Register with the US copyright office.
Or just do it like any other studio: keep your mouth shut. Have people sign a NDA. The rest of the industry handles it like this - so should you, if you're paranoid.
If you release trailers, etc. then put a copyright notice on them and a date and your name.
But making a good one and then getting it out there is :P
True enough. We're trying to set ourselves up with realistic expectations and trying to not get ahead of ourselves with gameplay mechanics. Hopefully by the end we'll have a successful title that we're proud of.
If the game starts selling and becomes super popular you can always trademark it then, save the complicated stuff for when it gets serious.
- Buying a game is a risk for consumers; they can't get their money back if they hate it.
- It's a luxury item to them, something they can do without.
- It needs to be something they won't dwell on the price about, an impulse buy.
- It's about what the consumer wants, so don't impose any barriers/make them jump through hoops (*cough*DRM*cough*, not that I'm saying you would) in order to enjoy the content or they will just walk away from it.
- Your wants as a business must not overrule the wants of the consumer. Anything that supports your bottom line, but doesn't add value for the buyer is probably not the best idea (this is a soft rule, it can be flexible depending on how much the consumers will bear).
- Focus on your customers and not the people who aren't. They aren't worth the effort because it takes away time and money that could be spent creating the best experience for your customers/fans.