And what about images? [Archive] - Wizards Community

And what about images? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Golem_de_obsidiana
03-22-07, 11:48 AM Hello, my question is some thing like that:

I download and image from wizards from the PC portrail archive. I'll like to use it in an adventure that I wrote and then sell the adventure. I now that the image have copyrights and so on, but if I said that the image have a copyright somewhere in the text and I give it OGL from my work, I'm breaking the rules?. It suposes that I am not selling the image because of the OGL, I'm selling the rest of the text. It's ok?

Thanks for your answers!!
DM-Scott
03-22-07, 04:36 PM Ok, I've been pouring over the FAQs and the other documents for the OGL and the d20 licenses, and from this I have derrived the following conclusion.

No.

If I understand correctly, if the image itself was actually OGL content (which would be wierd) then perhaps you could. But the images on WotC (or anywhere else that I can think of) aren't open game cotent (notice they are published by WotC but aren't in the SRD).

The same idea could be applied to rules mechanics, a if you decided to put out material which had someone else's material in it, but some of yours, then you would in theory be able to say you were selling your stuff and the other would be OGC (open game content), but it's in fact private content (not OGC). It doesn't work, and it's still illegal.

Of course from what I understand the above is completely fine assuming you use actual open game content (such as the SRDs).

Did I get everything right? :tie:
Ranger REG
03-22-07, 11:34 PM SEE MY DISCLAIMER BELOW...
Hello, my question is some thing like that:

I download and image from wizards from the PC portrail archive. I'll like to use it in an adventure that I wrote and then sell the adventure. I now that the image have copyrights and so on, but if I said that the image have a copyright somewhere in the text and I give it OGL from my work, I'm breaking the rules?. It suposes that I am not selling the image because of the OGL, I'm selling the rest of the text. It's ok?

Thanks for your answers!!
I wouldn't do that. The portrait offered are for personal use only. Using any of the portrait in a product you're selling without permission from artist or owner no longer constitute personal use.
spyone
03-23-07, 12:49 AM One more vote for this not being ok.

There is a lot of art in the Public Domain, which means that anybody could use it in a book without having to pay, but the art of Wizard's site (or the sites of various artists, or deviantart.com) is almost never that kind of art. It is the kind of art that belongs to the artist, or to Wizards, and can only be used with their permission (which usually involves giving them money). And if you use it without their permission, they can get a judge to order you to destroy every copy you have of whatever used it, and to give them money that will quite probably exceed any profit you made off the sale of whatever it was, and otherwise make you very unhappy.

I have seen game books illustrated entirely with art that was in the Public Domain, and some of them looked quite good. There is a surprisingly large body of work out there in the Public Domain, including most of the works of the Great Masters.

Here's a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Public_domain_image_resources
Golem_de_obsidiana
03-23-07, 03:57 AM OK!! So it's not possible to do that. Well I try out the Public domain image resources and try to find something cool. My problem is that I'm the worst drawing anything different that tecnichal drawings :rolleyes:

Thank you for your answers!!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Golem_de_obsidiana 03-22-07, 11:48 AM	Hello, my question is some thing like that: I download and image from wizards from the PC portrail archive. I'll like to use it in an adventure that I wrote and then sell the adventure. I now that the image have copyrights and so on, but if I said that the image have a copyright somewhere in the text and I give it OGL from my work, I'm breaking the rules?. It suposes that I am not selling the image because of the OGL, I'm selling the rest of the text. It's ok? Thanks for your answers!!
DM-Scott 03-22-07, 04:36 PM	Ok, I've been pouring over the FAQs and the other documents for the OGL and the d20 licenses, and from this I have derrived the following conclusion. No. If I understand correctly, if the image itself was actually OGL content (which would be wierd) then perhaps you could. But the images on WotC (or anywhere else that I can think of) aren't open game cotent (notice they are published by WotC but aren't in the SRD). The same idea could be applied to rules mechanics, a if you decided to put out material which had someone else's material in it, but some of yours, then you would in theory be able to say you were selling your stuff and the other would be OGC (open game content), but it's in fact private content (not OGC). It doesn't work, and it's still illegal. Of course from what I understand the above is completely fine assuming you use actual open game content (such as the SRDs). Did I get everything right? :tie:
Ranger REG 03-22-07, 11:34 PM	SEE MY DISCLAIMER BELOW... Hello, my question is some thing like that: I download and image from wizards from the PC portrail archive. I'll like to use it in an adventure that I wrote and then sell the adventure. I now that the image have copyrights and so on, but if I said that the image have a copyright somewhere in the text and I give it OGL from my work, I'm breaking the rules?. It suposes that I am not selling the image because of the OGL, I'm selling the rest of the text. It's ok? Thanks for your answers!! I wouldn't do that. The portrait offered are for personal use only. Using any of the portrait in a product you're selling without permission from artist or owner no longer constitute personal use.
spyone 03-23-07, 12:49 AM	One more vote for this not being ok. There is a lot of art in the Public Domain, which means that anybody could use it in a book without having to pay, but the art of Wizard's site (or the sites of various artists, or deviantart.com) is almost never that kind of art. It is the kind of art that belongs to the artist, or to Wizards, and can only be used with their permission (which usually involves giving them money). And if you use it without their permission, they can get a judge to order you to destroy every copy you have of whatever used it, and to give them money that will quite probably exceed any profit you made off the sale of whatever it was, and otherwise make you very unhappy. I have seen game books illustrated entirely with art that was in the Public Domain, and some of them looked quite good. There is a surprisingly large body of work out there in the Public Domain, including most of the works of the Great Masters. Here's a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Public_domain_image_resources
Golem_de_obsidiana 03-23-07, 03:57 AM	OK!! So it's not possible to do that. Well I try out the Public domain image resources and try to find something cool. My problem is that I'm the worst drawing anything different that tecnichal drawings :rolleyes: Thank you for your answers!!