I'm thinking of making a version of a great game from a long time ago. Someone probably owns the rights but the original game is so old (like early 80's) I dont even know who to contact. I could tweak it a little to make it my own but it would be cool if the game were true to the original. I also plan to upgrade the graphics. What should I do about this?
Of course you gotta pay the royalties. Google up the game and look for the company that published it back then. No free lunch in business.
Yeah this is a no brainer, you should hunt them down! It would be easier in the long run, especially if your game hit it big.
You should really try to contact the owner of those (c) if you really want to avoid potential legal problems. Since normally (c) usually can last 50 years and more. So 20 years isn't that old enough. Its possible that the game became public domain if all the (c) holder of the games went under. But definitely get some legal advice from a lawyer specialize in intellectual property. As he will be able to tell you more precisely the laws related to that and could probably do the research and contacts for you. But of course you will need to pay those fees, but will be safer and let you concentrate to work on your project without any worries. Fred
ok that sounds like too much of a hassle. I'll just make my own game and borrow some of the ideas. Thanks guys.
Copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years in most countries. Remaking a game without the IP owners consent would be breach of copyright.
