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Is it ilegal or something like that to have someones house on a game
i was wondering if it is ilegal to have an exact model of the outside of someones house in a game without there permission. and is it ilegal to mention the street and the house number and all that stuff
It will depend on what country you are in - but it doesn't sound like a very good idea in any case.
I'd rather avoid that. It's like google street view, some countries dont care, some countries sue Google.
Change it here and there, and you should be ok. As for street and number, choose a fake one.
Berenger is correct, that's what I would do. Just change up a few things and make up a street name.
I dont know why an outside model of a house would matter, because most are probly in a house plan catalog anyway and contractors build the same house over and over again. "You modeled my house!" .."Nope its another guys that looks the same :D"
Answer by Julien-Lynge · Jan 23, 2013 at 04:51 AM
This is a fairly complex issue, and it's important to note that the advice you receive here is not legal advice. If you wish to use the likeness of a building in a game, and especially if you plan to sell the game, and you have any doubts about its legality, I suggest you contact a lawyer.
It's also important to note that copyright laws vary by country, and by time of construction (for instance, whether the building was constructed before 1990 can have a bearing on legality).
That being said, in most cases you should be fine reproducing a building in your game, provided that a) the building is visible from a public area, and b) the building contains no copyrighted works of art. There may be other exclusions that I'm not aware of. Please see the links below for some more information:
Copyright Code, Title 17, Circular 92, § 120 . Scope of exclusive rights in architectural works (http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#120)
(a) Pictorial Representations Permitted.—The copyright in an architectural work that has been constructed does not include the right to prevent the making, distributing, or public display of pictures, paintings, photographs, or other pictorial representations of the work, if the building in which the work is embodied is located in or ordinarily visible from a public place.
Restrictions of artworks: http://asmp.org/tutorials/photos-public-buildings.html
Answer by Maulik2208 · Jan 23, 2013 at 06:53 AM
Don't use directly the same model but try to modify as per your requirement....