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PacMan character and copyrights...
Author
Hello,
I''m working on a logo for my next game. If there''s no problem, the animation will be a black screen, then will appear a pacman(the character, the yellow ball...), and it will cross the screen... when it goes crossing, will appear my company''s logo...
Can I have any trouble doing this? is the graphic character copyrighted?
thanks for your questions...
Marc Casas
P.S.: Sorry for my bad english...
Its copyright by Namco - they use the character as their company ''logo'', so could call it a trademark device.
Although not necessarily illegal to use, think of it this way: could you afford top lawyers ($$$) to defend yourself if they did sue you for "passing off" ?
9 times out of 10 they probably wouldn''t (other people have publicallly used the Pac-Man symbol without permission, and haven''t been sued), but if you did something which became commercially successful and/or you''re unlucky, you *might* have problems.
We developed an official Pac-Man licenced game (Pac-Man: Adventures in Time) a while back, and I can promise you Namco take any use of the Pac-Man character very seriously!
--
Simon O''Connor
Creative Asylum Ltd
www.creative-asylum.com
Although not necessarily illegal to use, think of it this way: could you afford top lawyers ($$$) to defend yourself if they did sue you for "passing off" ?
9 times out of 10 they probably wouldn''t (other people have publicallly used the Pac-Man symbol without permission, and haven''t been sued), but if you did something which became commercially successful and/or you''re unlucky, you *might* have problems.
We developed an official Pac-Man licenced game (Pac-Man: Adventures in Time) a while back, and I can promise you Namco take any use of the Pac-Man character very seriously!
--
Simon O''Connor
Creative Asylum Ltd
www.creative-asylum.com
Author
Well, so I can''t use a pacman... but can I use a pacman''s skeleton, or I''ll be under copyright infringment too?
thanks for the answer...
Marc Casas
thanks for the answer...
Marc Casas
The rule is if people think it''s probably pacman, it''s illegal.
So, skeletons, blue pacmen, pacmen with a symbol on the side, all problematic.
Why do you want to co-opt someone else''s logo anyway?
So, skeletons, blue pacmen, pacmen with a symbol on the side, all problematic.
Why do you want to co-opt someone else''s logo anyway?
Author
quote: Original post by Anonymous Poster
The rule is if people think it''s probably pacman, it''s illegal.
So, skeletons, blue pacmen, pacmen with a symbol on the side, all problematic.
Why do you want to co-opt someone else''s logo anyway?
Well, when I asked here in the forum i didn''t know that pacman was Namco''s logo... (yes, i didn''t do ANY research about pacman or his owner...
) So now I''m sure that I will think another logo/animation...
And thaks for the replies.Marc Casas
This topic is closed to new replies.
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