Copyright?

[Carnage]

Hey all I almost completed my first mission storywise but now I am wondering what is possible without copyright issues. I know that 'he that must not be named' can't be in it, but what about keepers and other things related to the thief series? It's not an issue if I can't do it, but just wanted to be sure.

[greebo]

See the FAQ on our main website:

 

Q: If I make a fan mission, can I use Garrett, Hammerites, etc?

A: We can't control what people do, but we would prefer that those using our work do not break copyright laws. We will not host or officially support any fan efforts that use intellectual property belonging to Eidos.

 

I'd prefer if people get over the thought of including the names Keepers, Hammerites, Bluecoats, Constantines and Gamalls in their missions. I won't go into any kind of discussion whether it's legally ok to do so or not (it's an irrelevant and moot discussion - none of us is able to give a definite answer to the copyright questions), so just keep it straight out of your mission. Plus, authors should not take the stance of "it's my mission, so I'll take the risk" - it is not as simple as that, so the only thing the TDM team can do is to stronly encourage people not to try it.

 

Regard this as your personal creative challenge to come up with an original story in TDM universe, think about all the stories untold with characters nobody else came up with so far! If you want to have Garrett in your mission, go for Dromed.

[Neb]

Eidos don't own the rights to general themes such as powerful shadowy figures pulling the strings behind the scenes, or fanatical religious sects, or fantasy creatures in a strange, corrupt city.

 

You can use stuff like that that you've seen in the Thief games (or any other game). You just can't drop names that belong to that particular world.

 

It's time to get creative.

 

 

[Springheel]

Most of the Thief factions have similar counterparts in Bridgeport. Although there are no "Keepers" there is the "Order of Hermes", an official organization of mages who could be up to all kinds of things behind the scenes.

 

I have yet to see a story for Thief that could not be easily recreated in the TDM setting (except for some of the dumber TDS stories like a big giant multi-headed monster rampaging through the city).

[Carnage]

Thanks for the replies. Being creative is certainly not a problem, so I already changed everything. In the end I don't think it matters what the names are, as long as people enjoy playing it .

[Crispy]

the "Order of Hermes", an official organization of mages who could be up to all kinds of things behind the scenes.

You mean these guys, right?