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[FogGobbler]

Hi!

I´ve got some copyright questions you could probably solve.

1. The new adventure "geheimakte tunguska" has a function they called "snoopkey (R)". With this button you can show all available hotspots in the scene to avoid pixelhunting. Now we had this idea, too, but our project hasn´t even got to preprepre-alpha :-) . Am I allowed to use such a function in our game, or is it protected by copyright?

2. I know you should not present things like coca cola bottles (with the original lable) in a game, but what about furniture that comes from i.e. IKEA?  Do I have to "design" my own table or am I allowed to use things from a catalogue as a template (right word for that?? I hope you know what i mean) for my 3d work?

[Mnemonic]

Am I allowed to use such a function in our game, or is it protected by copyright?

Considering Simon the Sorcerer 2 used something like that back in 1995... I don't think it could be patented. Besides, the EU still doesn't allow software patents, if I'm not mistaken.

[nikolas]

Let me clarify a little bit more:

Ideas do not get copyrighted, they get pattented! I seriously doubt that there is a pattent pending on what you mention here about the hotspots.

About the IKEA furniture and everything else, actually you could look at it from the other way around. If you were IKEA (or Coca Cola for that matter), wouldn't you like your logo to be present in a game? I know I would. Why don't you ask them and actually ask them to sponsr you or something.

[adonf]

the (r) symbol only means that the word "snoopkey" is a registred trade mark, but what "snoopkey" does is not patented or protected. you can reproduce the same behaviour in your game.

getting brands to sponsor games is not something that's commonly done yet. i worked on a motocross game a couple of years ago and the publisher (not a small one too) had to pay the companies to use the clothes that real MX rider wear. but if your bottle looks similar but not exactly the same as a coca cola bottle you should be fine (see activision's true crime for example. all the cars are made up but if you know cars you can tell immediately which ones they're inspired from.)

[Mnemonic]

(see activision's true crime for example. all the cars are made up but if you know cars you can tell immediately which ones they're inspired from.)

I think this is a different case, though. IMO Activision would love to have "real" cars in the game (and would gladly pay for it), but they can't get the license since you can run over people with those cars, which isn't the best advertisement the car makes would like to see.

[adonf]

you're right, it's a different case but i mentionned it to illustrate the fact that you can use objects that are recognizable brands without being the actual real-life objects and not get into legal trouble.

ps: what happened to your avatar