Copyright or something?

Game Engine Game Engine Support and Discussion
1

Hello!

I was wondering that if i get a model-reference picture from a site of a gun that is real and it says the guns name and everything and i make a model of this gun and maybe use the textures of the real gun or something, and the use it in my game, is this OK, or do i have to get some permissions or something?

First post so don’t be mean :smiley:

2

For one, you can not use the picture without permission, secondly you can not use the real name of the gun since this is a trademark.

3

Thanks for the answer, the site is a reference picture site so it’s ok for me to use the pictures, so it’s ok to use it if i just don’t use the real name in-game?

4

I think in Germany the 3D-Model would count as own work.

But:

  • you need permission to get and use the blueprint / the one offering it to you must have the a permission to give it to you
  • the name most-likely is a trade mark
  • the form/design might be a trademark too (in common sense: if it can (easily) be confused with the trademarked form … you are walking on thin ice)
  • the texture has a copyright -> you need permission to get, use, (modify) and distribute it.

In general, there is no problem as long as you do not publish/distribute the material in question. It is common practice to avoid trademarked material even in-house. There is always a risk it gets published by mistake. Finally it will be harder to get the not-allowed labels out of the developers heads.