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Questions regarding the EULA.
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The EULA states that you may not use New Game Materials to reference any drugs (legal or illegal) or medication.
Does this mean that you are not allowed to reference drugs or medication that exist in real life, but we are allowed to make references to drugs or medication that exist within the Star Trek IP?
Can we make references to any of the drugs or medications listed at Memory Alpha?
Drugs and treatments (MA Link).
Does this mean that you are not allowed to reference drugs or medication that exist in real life, but we are allowed to make references to drugs or medication that exist within the Star Trek IP?
Can we make references to any of the drugs or medications listed at Memory Alpha?
Drugs and treatments (MA Link).
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Real Medicines and Drugs = No go
The big reason is that Australia has a terrible classification where the game would get restricted if they catch real-life drugs in it (this is why Fallout 3 had to rename a lot of narcotics).
Well it is star trek, and it is not real, so.... I would say yes.
This is okay.
Real-life medicines are not - nor are real-life drugs.
Interesting points to consider, alas from memory so I may have interpreted things wrong.
Does this include blatantly obvious metaphors?
No Space Lincoln? Say it ain't so!
Legal or not.
Thanks,
Stormshade
I suggested some time ago (and hope they listen) that I think it would be smart to handpick a list of public domain works that can be referenced in the Foundry.
Y'Know, Shakespeare, a collection of Greek myths, some non-fiction works with stock historical personalities.
I'd advise against saying "All Public Domain works" because it varies by country and some may be legal but run into libel issues, etc.
But I think it would be worth consulting an archivist for a "safe" list of works that may be referenced in The Foundry here and in other Cryptic games.
Since Cryptic is in the US, I'd guess that only US copyright would have to apply, so anything in the main Project Gutenberg archive would be ok.
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
In theory. But you might get foreign governments getting cagey.
Even then, there are works post 1922 with disputed status due to failure to include proper notification between the years of 1923 and 1978. Or works like "It's a Wonderful Life" or the Fleisher Superman cartoons that are PARTLY public domain. I think this also affects some early episodes of some sitcoms like the TRIBBLE Van TRIBBLE show.
All pre-1923 works still runs into libel issues.
It may EVENTUALLY be worth doing but I'd like to see them start by including several large anthologies of CLEARLY public domain, CLEARLY acceptable works.
Trek referenced Shakespeare all the time. Nobody will dispute Shakespeare or Greek myth.
There ARE people out there actively disputing the co-opting of native american religion in the public domain. The Bible and the Quran and The Book of Mormon are all PD works but dicey to include, even as historical texts. (I mean, one could do a mission with Space King David that doesn't preach religion but it's going to be dicey as a subject even within the EULA. And you could argue you were brorrowing David from non-religious PD texts at that.) Why be a target?
Maybe eventually there's a way to include all pre-1923 works. But I'd just suggest starting with Shakespeare (from an old/classic publication; if someone intentionally changes the text in a modern publishing, they own those changes), a certified Public Domain collection of Greek myths (a more modern work may include author embelishments that are not PD), stuff that you would see casually referenced in Trek and in a stock super-hero environment like Champions.
Well if we can't reference real drugs, I guess I'll have to structure a mission where you're Captain has a head ache and the cure will be "Space Aspirin." And if his eyes hurt, I'll have the doctor administer "Space Weed" which can also be good for curing any crewmen that contract Testicular "Space" Cancer.:D
Call it "Bash a Drug Dealer Day" lol
If it's ok, I could type up a copy of the EULA in the original post for reference out of game, would that be ok?
This is exactly what I've been wondering. If I make a short fat bald man and name him Picard for a super sweet time travel to the TNG era mission, that's not using Stewart's likeness.
Are we allowed to use parody to get certain points across? I know that there are US laws that allow for usage of materials or likenesses for parody purposes.
Also, we can't use the "first or last name" of anyone involved with Star Trek? It seems that if they're going to strictly enforce (which I don't think they will, as it would be preposterous) they could interpret it to go to town on characters named "Bob" in the foundry.
"You may not use copyrighted content from the Properties"... means what? Isn't it all technically copyrighted? Or are they specifically referring to trading cards and posters?
How are people supposed to write tribute episodes? I know the idea is new content, but let's be honest, many people will try to recreate their favorite TV episode. Do these rules allow for a good-natured tribute?
I think you'd have to be careful but I do have notes for a mission where Geordi's crew aboard the USS Challenger gets infected with a virus that mutates them and you have to free the crew. Along the way, you encounter Geordi but he's mutated.
I have another mission where the Klingon augment virus was never cured and figured Worf would be a white guy with a fu manchu. (Since most augment Klingons were pretty much anglo-American or ethnically Jewish whereas most Klingons post forehead ridges were British or African American. Really, I think you just tended to see whatever was the new prevailing trend in Shakespearian casting hit the Klingons.) So you'd have this TOS Klingon named Worf but he wouldn't be the same guy, really.
I'd be inclined to think that a bad likeness is still a likeness (and will annoy people) but a very deliberately altered likeness could be cool. My litmus test is whether you might actually have a different actor step into the role for an episode.
We have examples where a character was either likely to be re-cast (the original actor died, it was a minor character) or have a stand -in (mutated, aged, de-aged, alternate universe, trapped in someone else's body).
So, y'know... Picard who looks wrong for the sake of it raises a red flag for me. Picard at age 30 (no actor ever played him in his 30s), Picard mutated, Picard trapped in someone else's body, etc. lraises a red flag for me.
I know one thing I have gotten compliments on is my proficiency with the slider tool. With the devs' consent, I'd be happy to work up default contact likenesses for characters that evoke the character without taking heavily from the actor's likeness. For example, an aged Riker based on the AGT makeup but not modeled on Frakes.
I think if we had prefabs of aged (and extra-young) characters as contacts, you'd be less likely to see people try to make their own..
He most importantly states that "while you can mention Sisko or Picard all you want, if you use their likeness it violates the actors who played those characters' rights, and opens us to possible legal actions. Therefor, we would be required to remove the likeness from the game."
This is okay but it doesn't address whether we can show a character without the likeness.
If a curious Ferengi accidentally gets ahold of Weyoun's memories from a Dominion trader and downloads Weyoun's personality, the character is basically Weyoun but Jeffrey Combs' likeness isn't being used. (Unless that Ferengi is Brunt.)
Likewise, if Geordi is mutated into a Jem'Hadar, the character is Geordi but it isn't Levar Burton's likeness.