Question about the License

[Mogwai]

Hey, I want to use this program for my future visual novel game. If i use this anime characters from here, there will be any license problem i am curious about that? If there is no problem with that, i am thinking to buy for using it on my project.

[Spectre]

If you want a more in-depth explanation as to the specifics of the license there are quite a few threads on the subject already, but the short of it is that your free to use the characters however you want so long as your not distributing the assets individually (as in, they must be a creative work).

The limitation on that is, of course, that you cannot claim sole ownership of that characters image.

[Crache]

• Yes, if you own Manga Maker then you can use them in your visual novel game, even commercially.
  
  
• You need to be aware that Web Technology Com Corp. retains all copyright over the characters themselves.
  
  
• You are allowed to use them in your commercial creations, but you cannot sublicense them. Even if you release your game for free, you need to make it clear that the license you release your game under does not apply to the characters you created with Manga Maker.
  
  
• You don't have permission to sell or distribute the characters by themselves outside of a larger work, but there wouldn't be any problem with swapping characters with other Manga Maker users who are also licensed to use them. This is to prevent people from thinking they can just export all the characters and sell them individually on a website or create their own manga maker-like product using the same assets.
  
  
• Some of the base preset characters that come with Manga Maker are named characters which you are allowed to use in your manga / novels, but if you want to use them in a more complicated scenario you are asked to contact them via their inquiry form. However, you can simply avoid this by making your own presets rather than using the defaults. You can see that these characters have particular face configurations, clothing colors, eye colors, hair colors, hair ribbons and hair configurations. Avoid those configurations and you're probably fine. These characters are used for ComiPo! marketing.
  
  
• You need to acknowledge Web Technology Com Corp. as the copyright owner of the characters in your game credits.

[LadiSilverfox]

Can we Pin this? Because this question gets asked ALL the time?

[xyzt]

Originally posted by LadiSilverfox:

Can we Pin this? Because this question gets asked ALL the time?

Agree.

[Danger Manni]

You can solve the license problem by creating a character as a reference for your VN in ComiPo and then tracing it in e.g. Photoshop or SAI and use the outcome of that.
Since the asset you will use was created in, let's say, SAI (what inspired you doesnt matter for that) you do not forfeit your copyright.

[ODBear Studios]

What about the background licence ? Can we use them in a commercial visuel novel ?

[Zitrix Megalomedia]

Can I use exported images in non-RpgMaker commercial games? Can I use only created characters (not full comix pages) at non-RpgMaker commercial games? Maybe, some examples exists? And answers from Crache is official - can I see some answers at rpgmakerweb.com ?

Update. I found "If you publish your works created by using ComiPo! Assets in other applications than ComiPo! software, you infringe our copyrights." at http://www.comipo.com/en/faq/index.html . So, for games we may use only own imported 3d characters. Or I muddle something? And after import we can't use predefined poses and other features? Maybe, exists some ComiPo assets shop with more soft license?

[Zitrix Megalomedia]

Originally posted by Danger Manni:

You can solve the license problem by creating a character as a reference for your VN in ComiPo and then tracing it in e.g. Photoshop or SAI and use the outcome of that.

This is exactly copyright infingement. You can't trace refs even with jig saw. http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/four-factors/ and especially Rogers v. Koons case.

[Spectre]

The affiliation with RPG maker is fairly limited insofar as ComiPo as a legal entity. Degica is only a publisher, the actual creators of the two softwares have little to do with each other.

Broadly speaking, the standard of copyright that has always been held with regard to ComiPo is that the assets remain the property of the original creators of the software, where as the artistic efforts produced by the user are copyright to them. There are a few precedents already for the use of ComiPo assets in visual novels, and regardless of the specific wording of the FAQ, copyright in practice has always been applied insofar that your Ok as long as your using the assets as part of a ComiPo-made work and not indiividually.

[amrree]

You buy them, you own them. Trace into Vectors using illistrator and remove any/all claims tiiihe think they have. You cant copyright Manga style. Anyone needs to learn to trace, pm me.

[Spectre]

^Clearly never studied law. You might not be able to copyright a style, but you can copyright assets to such an extent that any visually identical work is still the property of a copyright owner, even when they had no direct hand in the work in questions manufacture.

[amrree]

Visually identical? - Nothing stands out in this app that Adobe can't fix. Do a reverse image search and see what visually identical really means. Easy peasy copyright freezy :D

[Spectre]

Well evidently so. The crux of most copyright infringment cases that go to court are the proof of sufficient differentiation or the transformative nature of the work.

The point to be made is that just tracing over something does not provide a reasonable level of sufficient differentiation. If one was simply going to use the basic outline to draw in their own features that would be a different question, though given that ComiPo has long touted itself as 'the manga program for people who cant draw'... Well, i'll let you make the conclusions there.

[Too Many Side Quest]

Can I create my own assets (hopefully I can draw anime) and import it to manga maker? If yes, can it be easily done? Can I license my own assets under my company or organization?

[Spectre]

Yahmm, ComiPo supports JPEG, PNG, BMP 2D data assets and MQO, OBJ and PMD 3D assets, all you have to do is drag and drop.