I'm about to open up my own online forum and see many potential legal and copyright infrinment issues. First a short discription. This will be a general forum on a game that is coming out later this year where people can discuss general topics on the game. Here are my main questions: 1. Do i need permision from the game company to open a forum on their game, since I'll be using their name. 2. Logos. I want to use logos from the game. Am i allowed to use the same logos the company uses. For instance, many Battlefield 2 game forums use various images from the game on their home page. Am I allowed to use images, such as the logos used on the box of the game, on my home page? 3. Interviews/Announcements. The game publisher releases varios information about their upcoming games. Additionally, various other sites, such as GameSpot, have intervied the developers. Am I allowed to post these various items on my forum and just note where it came from. I noticed that places like fark.com and various other sites post news published by other sites. Do i need to get a licence and permision from each and every site? 4. "Squating". It's what my friend said I'm doing. I bought the acutal .com domain of the game. The publishers didnt buy the domain yet since the game doesn't come out for another year. Is it legal for me to squat on this domain. What happens once they want to attain this domain? 5. Let's say someone got some inside info and posted it on a different forum. Am i somehone allowed to repost what he said on my forum? 6. If i need licences for any of this stuff (if not everything), how do I go about attaining it. Can I just send and email, or does it have to be in actual writing. Is there anything else that I should know? Thank you, Any and all input will be greatly appreciated.
Im not a lawyer, so take this with a grain of salt... 1. I dont think there is an issue with using the name of the game since it will be the topic of your discussion. Just make sure to include something in the site's policy that the game name is copyright and belongs to the game maker. 2. The game maker, may or may not have an issue with you using their logo. I would go ahead and use the logo and if the game maker contacts you to stop using it, take it down immediately. 3. You cant copy entire interviews and content from other sites. However, you can write your own original summaries of the interview with cited quotes, these should also include links to the original source. 4. There's no laws against squatting, but if the game maker has a copyright on the name and they decide they want the domain, they may be able to take it from you, with having to purchase it from you. 5. Copying info from other forums is not a good idea. You probably will never get sued for it, but it's just a dishonest way to go about building your forum. 6. I wouldn't worry about licenses at this time. If the copyright holder decided you are in violation, i would discuss licensing at that time. I hope that helps. Again, i am not a lawyer - you may want to consult with one.
I believe that they can take the domain from you with no pay if they have trademarked the name! Thats how google was acquired from what i know!