Copyright and Trademark - What is it?
Copyrights and trademarks, in most of the world, offer protection over creative works in terms of how and where those works can be used. Any content that is published on, or is otherwise part of ModCo, must follow standard practices in respecting copyrighted and trademarked property.
Copyright can automatically apply to any and all creative works as soon as they are created. This includes not only the obvious things like brand names and company logos, but also things like images, textures, drawings, etc, that you might find on the internet. With this in mind, it's important to be aware of what kind of resources you are using in your content designs.
A quick checklist you can ask yourself:
- Is this my own fully original concept/brand/creation? Does it already exist?
- Do I have explicit permission to use this?
If it's not your own original work, and/or you do not have permission to use it, then it's likely that you're not allowed to use it for your content.🚫
Branded Content
- Branded content, or anything that makes use of an official brand name, logo, etc, will only be permitted if it has been created specifically as part of an official partnership with a brand.
- Branded partnerships are generally very limited in the scope of what is included as part of that partnership. If we've worked with a brand in the past, that does not mean that we have unlimited ongoing use of their name, logo, etc.
- We will not accept branded content that has been created outside of a specific partnership.
- ⚠️ Copyright holders can request that images containing copyrighted materials be removed from the site, regardless of whether or not it is the content that you created, even if it is just content in the background of your image/scene. ⚠️
✅ You can create content that is similar to the design of branded content, as long as it's not an exact replica! Make sure that any brand names or logos are either generic/custom, or otherwise you can also omit branding entirely.
What is considered to be "branded" content?
- Brand Names
- Logos
- Advertising Graphics
- Photos or illustrations in which branded content appears
- In some cases, fonts, colors, and other visual details can be considered as part of a copyright/trademark. However, these are also usually dependent on other factors, such as the context and type of content in which it is being used.
Celebrity Photos
Photos of celebrities are typically always protected by copyright, just like any other photo. They rights to a photo may belong to the celebrity themselves, a photographer/photography studio, modelling agency, or some other publisher. We do not allow the use of celebrity photos outside of any official partnerships.
✅ We do allow sims that have been created as inspired by a celebrity.
🚫 Actual real-world photos of that celebrity can not be included outside of any official partnership.
For content such as:
- Book Covers
- Album Covers
- Movie Posters
- Magazine Covers
- Video Game Posters/Title Artwork
- Board Game Boxes
- VHS/DVD/CD/BluRay Cover Artwork
- Etc
All of these types of content are also protected under standard copyright regulations, and cannot be used in content outside of an official partnership.
Copyright also extends to all media that you may find on the internet. This includes content such as:
- Paintings
- Photographs
- Drawings
- Diagrams
- Backgrounds/Wallpapers
- Patterns
- Textures
- Etc
Content found on websites such as Pinterest, ArtStations, DeviantART, Behance, etc, is generally always going to be protected by copyright unless the publishing artist has specified otherwise.
If it is not specified that the content is intentionally being posted for re-use in other projects, then you should assume that you're most likely not allowed to use it.
What CAN I use?
There is an entire classification of content, called Stock, that provides assets that artists are allowed to take and use in their own creative works. Make sure you are reviewing the licensing terms of anything you intend to use so that you are aware of any stipulations in using that content. Some places/authors will require credit or attribution, some specify that their content can only be used in certain categories, some have limits on views, etc.
Stock Websites
Here is a small selection of some commonly used stock websites.
Paid:
⚠️ If a stock website charges for their media/assets, then it's expected that you've paid/have a subscription/etc to be able to use those assets.
Free:
Also note that there are websites such as DeviantArt and ArtStation, that while not inherently stock footage websites, do have sections dedicated to stock assets. Just make sure the asset you are using is explicitly labeled as being stock footage for reuse, and that - if necessary - you've paid any licensing or subscription fees, etc.