Just 4 grins & giggles.

C

Cactushead

New member
I'm building a Marsz layout using ish 6's and alien 3's creations. I just got a wild idea. Wouldn't it b fun to have a 5'10" statue of Marvin the Martian and K-9 to plant somewhere on the layout? Or several places. Maybe several in different poses? Anyone up for that? Just a thot. Waddaya think?
Cactushead.
 
Not meaning to throw a spanner in the works but there may be copyright issues. Both are well known characters from TV so their images would be copyrighted.
 
There is a Dalek by dreddman: KUID2:13013:919215:2, that has been available on the DLS since 2014 and sometimes a Doctor Who figure appears amongst the passengers, both well known TV characters and seemingly not having any known copyright issues!

Why would the OP's characters attract copyright issues?

Rob.
 
Just thinking of the issues that have arisen over the years involving Thomas The Tank Engine.
 
...and to add a bit more to my comments regarding copyright, here is a useful post on the matter

Tony_Hilliam said:
To tidy up come of the concerns raised earlier in this thread, here is some non-legal advice (since we're not lawyers, and getting two lawyers to agree on anything is difficult at best):

Our lawyers have suggested that we don't provide legal advice to our customers. If you want to use any brand names or brand images in your components and you’re not sure whether or not you’re legally allowed to, you should ask the brand owner for permission. If you have permission from the correct person, and you only use the relevant brand within the permission you were given, it is unlikely that you will have any issues in relation to your use of that brand.
Click to expand...

(the bolding is mine) ... post #48 in the Content Creators Wanted thread.
 
robd said:
There is a Dalek by dreddman: KUID2:13013:919215:2, that has been available on the DLS since 2014 and sometimes a Doctor Who figure appears amongst the passengers, both well known TV characters and seemingly not having any known copyright issues!

Why would the OP's characters attract copyright issues?

Rob.
Click to expand...

I think an Ice Warrior would be more appropriate.
 
Do you REALLY think that any high priced team of lawyers are gonna' show up, with the MIB's banging down your door at 3AM, to seize your computer, and throw you in the Federal klink, for copywrite infringement ? It just has NEVER happened in the history of Trainz, and it NEVER will happen

Keep on going ... the Marz route is cool !
 
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What is far more likely is that the company that hosts the web site containing any unauthorised branded items will receive a letter of demand from the "high priced team of lawyers" representing the copyright holders that the material be removed. N3V already have and always will remove any material from the DLS that has been shown to in violation of copyright. Never say Never.
 
cascaderailroad said:
Do you REALLY think that any high priced team of lawyers are gonna' show up, with the MIB's banging down your door at 3AM, to seize your computer, and throw you in the Federal klink, for copywrite infringement ?
Click to expand...
Probably not. But is that a reason for ignoring the law?
 
This issue crops up regularly in these forums, as I am sure it does elsewhere. I am contantly amazed by the number of people who think that "fair use" includes using copyrighted material for anything other than personal use. Or believe that because they (the legal copyright owners) are very unlikely to come after you because of the costs involved, means that it is, as SailorDan pointed out, ok to ignore the law.

This issue has become more noticeable recently as some 3rd party sites have shut down resulting in favourite assets suddenly becoming impossible to obtain. The usual claim is "I must have it and I can't get it anywhere else so please GIVE IT TO ME"

Placing material that belongs to someone else into a public space where anyone can access and use it, even if the original owner is not making any money from the material, is illegal. I am certain that if some of the people who see nothing wrong with this sort of behaviour were to find that their own work was being redistributed without their consent, particularly if the work was being modified or was now "payware", they would probably have a different view.

Yes, I know that there are a lot of content creators who have openly stated that anyone can freely modify and redistribute their work as they see fit. Sometimes they add a condition that credit must be given to them as the original creator or that it cannot be distributed as a part of any payware. But what if some-one ignores those conditions?

It is very unlikely that a "team of high priced lawyers" will be engaged to chase you down or that the "Copyright Cops" will break down your door and seize your computer but having your work removed from legal distribution sites is far more likely and, for some, it would be extremely humiliating. Your reputation would be trashed. Would it be worth it?
 
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This thread has gone way off topic; it's gone from copyright on TV characters to a pointless argument about 'brand images' which is totally irrelevant to the OP's first post. Consider the plethora of 'brand images' that appear on locos and rolling stock in Trainz, not to mention all the various shop front names and images, warehouse names and images, airline companies etc. - the list is endless! Are all these brand names and images being used illegally? - I'm not so sure.

I'm sure the many content creators who kindly provided these named and branded assets didn't bother to contact the railway companies, retail/wholesale/distribution organisations, airline companies etc. for permission to use their brand names and images on their models?

Rob.
 
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Just for grins and giggles part two.

If this is not appropriate here, let me know.
Anyway, after I posted the original, I got to thinking about the copyright thingy. Your all right. I would need permission from Warner Bros. before I would even start to create anything of theirs. Even if I could. I tried and failed. G-max is just to complicated for me. Anyway, WB has to have a web site. Maybe I can find a number for their legal people and talk to them. I'll let you all know in a couple of weeks.
Cactushead.
ps. If they want to know who will be doing it, I'll post here and put that message out, and if anyone is interested, let me know, and I'll let them know. (Maybe someone can come up with a Martin the Martian.:D)
 
Just for grins and giggles part two.

If this is not appropriate here, let me know.
Anyway, after I posted the original, I got to thinking about the copyright thingy. Your all right. I would need permission from Warner Bros. before I would even start to create anything of theirs. Even if I could. I tried and failed. G-max is just to complicated for me. Anyway, WB has to have a web site. Maybe I can find a number for their legal people and talk to them. I'll let you all know in a couple of weeks.
Cactushead.
ps. If they want to know who will be doing it, I'll post here and put that message out, and if anyone is interested, let me know, and I'll let them know. (Maybe someone can come up with a Martin the Martian.:D)
 
robd said:
This thread has gone way off topic; it's gone from copyright on TV characters to a pointless argument about 'brand images' which is totally irrelevant to the OP's first post. Consider the plethora of 'brand images' that appear on locos and rolling stock in Trainz, not to mention all the various shop front names and images, warehouse names and images, airline companies etc. - the list is endless! Are all these brand names and images being used illegally? - I'm not so sure.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but the term "brand image" refers not just to the company name and logo but to any copyrighted image - including Marvin the Martian.

I do recall a few years back that UP (and possibly some other railroad companies) were getting very "legalistic" on the use of their name and logo in third party products, including freeware software. And when it comes to Hollywood, the TV studios have a reputation for clamping down very quickly on web sites, including free access Fansites, that use images, video clips and other material from their shows without permission.

If a brand name, copyrighted image, or any material that is protected under any intellectual rights or property laws, is used without the permission of the rights holder, then it is being used illegally. No question, no room for discussion, no grey area.

Trainz creators who make content containing copyrighted logos or images are relying on the copyright owners:-
  • remaining ignorant of the breach,
  • turning a "blind eye",
  • concluding that pursing the creators is not worth the effort,
  • approving of the free publicity,
or combinations of the above.

I am not trying to be a "kill joy" here, just pointing out the facts.
 
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