i have a realy cool game idea i want to shere to get feedback about it but i am scared that someone will steal my idea what do i do is there a way to copyright it? plz help me
I don’t wish to offend you, but unless your idea really is extremely compelling and unique, no one will care enough to steal it.
Ideas are a dime a dozen. The only thing that matters in gamedev is execution. Sometimes success is based on who gets there first, and sometimes it’s based on doing it better than the other guy. But the common denominator is that if you can’t build it, the idea itself is worthless.
but my idea is good thats why i am scared that someone will steal it
If you believe that, the best advice I can give you is to start building it and do not share it until you’re ready for the public to see it.
but is there any way to copyright now it ?
Absolutely. Any lawyer can help you with this.
without a lawer like the people who make music that they have this copy right someting like that
Unless you are Apple, you will run into great difficulty copywriting a concept with no firm foundation or strong proof of concept.
My best advice is to bounce the idea off of friends or family who are interested in games and see how they respond, if it is overwhelmingly positive, they are probably being nice, if it is mostly positive with some caveats, you are probably on a good track, if it is mostly negative, the idea is likely better in your head than practice, if it is overwhelmingly negative, you need new friends.
So there’s a difference between music copyright and an idea for a game…you cannot copyright an idea in your head - it is not a product…music is a finished product…when you create a piece of art - it is held under something called common law trademark - if you made the art then you own the trademark.
But that’s like saying…I have an idea for a song - without actually having written anything - you want to just copyright a chord progression…which you cannot…
just like how you cannot copyright game mechanics - hence the reason why there are so many clones of games.
Write the game design document and copyright it. Then when discussing, disclose that it is copyrighted so if anyone steals it after you discuss it you own the rights to it and can take legal action.
If you need to know more look up Intellectual Properties.
Video games are considered software and software can be copyrighted.
Also a lawyer in not needed to file a copyright.
use this to submit it under the “Other Digital Content” Guidelines
as you most certainly can copyright a video game
I believe your misunderstanding the use of the word Idea and taking it to literal. Also copyrights protect the owner of an Intellectual Property and has nothing to do with product as a requirement. That and music is a performing art.
Literal ‘Thoughts’ which can be ideas cannot be copyrighted
However presented ‘ideas’ whether verbal, written or some other form of medium aka ART can be copyrighted. Ironically everything that is copyrighted is or was an idea at one point during it’s lifetime.
Truthfully If he were to say his idea right here right now, it would be considered copyrighted because there is a record of the presentation of the idea he claimed ownership of.
With regards to music and how that industry works. Artists that are signed by a company owns the rights to their music and submit copyrights on a daily basis to the point that you have infringements all over the place. There the money gained in legal disputes are part of the profit pool and accounted for in the same manor as selling tracks. Music can be produced and profited at a much faster rate than most other artistic mediums so the industry is on a different level when it comes to copyrights.
With regards to game mechanics you can patent them and they have been.
This is more of a law topic… As gamers I think you should disregard answers and consult a lawyer