Copyright protection for models

deadflowers

Drumroll... I am new here. Ta-dah! Though not up to par with the forum or the general awareness, I have a question that I am not sure has been addressed, but forgive my ignorance for not having a more intimate knowledge. I did perform several searches prior, both here and on Google.

I am interested in offering up a mesh to be used on Polycount, just so I can get a good visual idea of how my model(s) would perform in a fast-paced game as Unreal, based upon user evaluation. I am considering this for my own game endeavor, but I am concerned about my personal rights regarding the time, effort, and originality.

I am aware that people alter models and such, from games and from original submissions... but how do I, or the original creators of the game models, retain some degree of proprietary ownership? Are there security measures in the coding of meshes that I can consider? What do they use, OR is it all for fun and they simply do not care how people use their models? I also wondered if other game companies would be acquiring models from this site for their personal benefit.

Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

CrazyButcher

most game model formats are "open" ie some people found ways to decode them, just look at how much milkshape can import and export. so there is no real way to lock them

however my opinion on all this copyright stuff is, that what makes you and your work valuable is the fact that you can produce that work, and that the result is quality work.

I see some people ripped models or textures from games and included them in mods for other games, since the mod stuff is mostly not commercial I guess many companys dont really dig too deep to protect their stuff. for some generic things its just too hard to do either (just think of all the mp5 models out there). in general however I think the community is rather packed with people that do the stuff on their own, sa thats their main goal learning how to do things, or that if they use other stuff they either credit it or not, and the ones that dont are normally ultra small projects that will never find a wide audience. more like 1 man tries to make a game and needs art quickly and doesnt care...

I heavily doubt that game companies blatently rip models, but maybe because I still believe in a bit good in this world

Eric Chadwick

Game developers in general don't rip models/textures/sounds without first acquiring the rights to the assets from the creators. It's not worth the legal issues and public relations problems.

However, I have seen plenty of instances where devs borrow assets from existing titles for use as temporary stand-ins for technology tests. These never make it out of the company. They're only used because sometimes it's faster to do so, for rapid prototyping. But you would never see it in a finished product.

Protecting digital content is very difficult these days, if not impossible. Well, actually impossible (so far). No one has done it really. If a ripper is determined enough, they can get all the game's art assets, because you're totally nude when it comes down to the hardware level, when you send the assets out to the graphics chip.

But for most people around here, the best way to protect your work is to simply label it with your copyright. Let people know how you'd like them to use it, and people generally respect that. Those that don't get hounded pretty quick.

JonMurphy

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However, I have seen plenty of instances where devs borrow assets from existing titles for use as temporary stand-ins for technology tests. These never make it out of the company. They're only used because sometimes it's faster to do so, for rapid prototyping. But you would never see it in a finished product.

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hehe, sometimes they do, though. eRacer (Rage) used sounds from Colin Macrae Rally (Codemasters) as stand-ins. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the sound department to make new ones!

KDR_11k

Copyright applies automatically to anything you make even without copyright notice (post 1989). Anyone deriving anything from your works without permission is violating your copyright and can be brought to court. When you derive something with permission your changes belong to you, the original work still belongs to the original author.

Generally an adaption is a derivative work so if you model something from a concept you own the model but the concept artist owns the idea of the character itself.

Copyright law permits you to limit both derivatives and reproduction of your work (not use, though), you could e.g. say noone's allowed to mirror that file and the law will make that so. Fair use exceptions still apply but usually reproducing an entire work isn't fair use, neither is modifying it and distributing the modified version.

Most modelers simply permit others to make derivative works, if one choses not to allow that noone is allowed to create derivative works (if you e.g. make a female model and set forth the rule that noone shall make a nude patch for it then anyone making a nude patch is violating your copyright).

Of course, to offer a model on Polycount you need to permit redistribution of your work.

CheapAlert

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However, I have seen plenty of instances where devs borrow assets from existing titles for use as temporary stand-ins for technology tests. These never make it out of the company. They're only used because sometimes it's faster to do so, for rapid prototyping. But you would never see it in a finished product.

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hehe, sometimes they do, though. eRacer (Rage) used sounds from Colin Macrae Rally (Codemasters) as stand-ins. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the sound department to make new ones!

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Counter-Strike's mp5 = rainbow six's mp5 :P