Hi I am thinking to make a Super hero online game, and want to know if it is legal to use images like Superman, spiderman etc. is it legal if i write that all images is owned by the respective trademake holders, or should i make a deal or would it be illegal???
You will have to write that all images is owned by the respective trademake holders by default. But you also have to get the copyright owners permission too! Regards Alex
No, using those images without permission would be trademark infringement and possibly copyright infringement. Writing that the images are owned by someone else isn't a get-out-of-infringement-free card. NCsoft was sued by Marvel, for example, because they had a game that allowed users to make characters that sort-of looked like Marvel's superheroes. While NCsoft and Marvel ultimately settled, NCsoft had to spend $$$$$$ in attorney and court costs to get to that point. Read more: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6141244.html Also note that DC and Marvel jointly hold the trademark on the term "super hero" itself, and they do enforce their trademark: http://goodcomics.blogspot.com/2006/03/superhero-trademark-faq.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superhero#Trademark_status
No, it is not legal. If you want to use them, you gotta spend money to buy the copyright. The cost is quite huge. Therefore, i suggest to use some modified or new design hero