Without limiting the foregoing, you hereby assign to Blizzard all of your rights, title, and interest in and to all Custom Games, including but not limited to any copyrights in the content of any Custom Games.
So, I assign the copyright to Blizzard. Does it mean that Blizzard is the exclusive owner of my work? If so - then:
You represent and warrant that neither the content you use to create or incorporate into any Custom Games, nor the compilation, arrangement or display of such content (collectively, the “User Content”), infringes or will infringe any copyright
Well, I gave Blizzard the copyright, so now I need a license from Blizzard to make another version of the map?
If so - am I automatically licensed to the stuff as long as I use it only in the World Editor? What prevents me from using it outside, for instance in a standalone DotA 2 game?
If not - again, what prevents me from using it outside, for instance in a standalone DotA game?
If for any reason you are prevented or restricted from assigning any rights in the Custom Games to Blizzard, you grant to Blizzard an exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, unconditional, royalty free, irrevocable license enabling Blizzard to fully exploit the Custom Games (or any component thereof) for any purpose and in any manner whatsoever.
What cases does it refer to? How is it possible that I am not able to assign the rights, but able to license them under such terms? It doesn’t include stuff such as LOTR characters, does it?
Another thing - what if someone (that is, me) uses stuff from a work-in-progress game that’s owned by a company (ran by me)?
If I were a serious mapmaker and was concerned about the legalese of the EULA, I’d find a contract attorney to decipher this kind of thing. Not the armchair lawyers of the internet.
What leviathan said if you are a mapmaker trying to make money or just worried about it . You need someone versed in contract and ip law . Your average lawyer is not going to be able to answer . Most eulas are worded in such a way if there is a dispute it would be up to the arbitrator to judge the language of the eula.
For 1 and 2 giving them ability to obtain a copyright does not make your stuff actually copyrighted. And even if it was, it would be copyright to Blizzard and not infringement of Blizzard to include it in another WCIII map.
Cases were you could not be able to give them copyright would be something like you paid the license for someone else’s artwork with a redistribution rights but you do not own the copyright (just the license to use and distribute it), in that case you can not assign them the copyright because you never owned it.
Which all boils down to, world editor a tool for hobbiest to make games for fun. If you want to create custom artwork, assists, etc and assure you own them forever…don’t use WCIII editor, that’s not what it’s for.
How is this complicated to people…you give them everything. You’re basically working for free for them. If the content in your map infringes on Copyrights that aren’t Blizzards then they aren’t allowed. If you use your own IP in the map it becomes theirs unless you have it copyrighted in which it isn’t allowed in the map. It really isn’t complicated.
Simple speech…if you make a map and then write a book using the lore of the map, you are stealing Blizzard’s IP. Get rekt.
How is this complicated to people…you give them everything. You’re basically working for free for them. If the content in your map infringes on Copyrights that aren’t Blizzards then they aren’t allowed. If you use your own IP in the map it becomes theirs unless you have it copyrighted in which it isn’t allowed in the map. It really isn’t complicated.
Simple speech…if you make a map and then write a book using the lore of the map, you are stealing Blizzard’s IP. Get rekt.
By far the most unrealistic interpretation of what this is about.
If 10,000 people make maps for this game, only 1 of them (if that) will make a map interesting enough to register as a blip on their radar, to even consider looking at or take an interest in, to even continue the conversation. Dota was a 1 in a million, lightning in a bottle scenario that comes maybe, MAYBE, once every 10 years, if we’re lucky.
The majority of people who make maps for games like this, aren’t looking to “write books” about them afterward, let alone get a book deal of some kind. If people are so serious as to write a fantasy novel or develop it into some kind of expanded universe, they’re not going to waste in a 20 year old rts, even so… they could simply change the names of the characters and locations continue the entire thing somewhere else…
Most people who make maps for games like this, are doing it because they just like the game… and they want to contribute to the game’s success and expand it and see it do well. This is the average player… I have an idea for a cool map, I’m going to make it so my friends and I can have fun, maybe other people will play it too and have fun. The end…
Blizzard doesn’t care about your maps… this is only in place so they don’t get sued.
It is copyrighted upon creation due to the local law. If I give them the rights, then it is still copyrighted, but by them, instead of me. Am I wrong?
The thing is that I want to make a book, and a W3 mod that’s set in the same universe. So there will be the same characters, places, etc - even if presented a bit differently.
But if I add something from another IP, such as LOTR - am I now somehow enslaving Tolkien’s soul and forcing it to transfer the IP to Blizzard? No.
And if I start a company that will start a new IP, and publishes a book about it, and then licenses me to use it in mods. What then?
What if someone writes a book, and then someone else uses the same lore? And then, what if Sapkowski made a Warcraft 3 map - would it suddenly transfer all the copyright to Blizzard, dooming CD Projekt?
This doesn’t apply if a book author makes a Warcraft 3 map… for fun.
but that map is also meant to impress family and friends. It is going to be a well, Warcraft 3 custom game, Tower Defense to be specific, but with the well-known characters and locations to persuade my friends into playing it with me.
I guess nobody wants to contribute to Reforged the way it is.
And 3.) So Blizzard can steal your character/story ideas for themselves without having to pay you a cent or give you credit because they can’t come up with anything decent on their own anymore.
And 3.) So Blizzard can steal your character/story ideas for themselves without having to pay you a cent or give you credit because they can’t come up with anything decent on their own anymore.
Considering Blizzard hasn’t done that to anyone yet, I would say you’re completely wrong and just have a chip on your shoulder