Copyright / Trademark / License For New Business

Epic Games,

I am an online entrepreneur working on a gaming community platform. Our team consists of Fortnite fans including some strong players who are interested in recording premium, step-by-step, video tutorials and courses for improving at Fortnite. Courses would be made available to members through a premium membership on our site.

The tutorials/courses would include video clips of players explaining their strategies while playing Fortnite. This means, the videos would contain Fortnite’s audio and visuals.

Do we need to request permission from Epic Games before proceeding to produce premium Fortnite tutorials? If so, whom should I contact?

Thank you!

Generally, you can look to our Fan Content Policy for our rules for these kinds of things. But since you intend to commercialize, this would fall outside of the policy. High level, this isn’t something Epic is going to be able to partner with you on or give official permission. There are some fair use exemptions under copyright and trademark law, such as in regards to unofficial guides, but I’m not in a position to provide you with legal advice on them.

Thank you for your response. As a follow-up question, I believe https://fortnitemaster.com/ is an unofficial/unaffiliate site, correct? Is Epic Games aware of their existence and okay with that they are doing?

Regarding fair use exemptions, I have read into them but there are gray areas. Is there a director/executive at Epic we could contact to inquire if us producing premium, monetized courses would be okay with them?

We have a great idea that is beneficial to Fortnite learners and indirectly beneficial to Epic Games too but are trying to be extra careful and ensure we don’t do anything that Epic would have a problem with.

I’m not going to comment on specific sites, but I will note that Fortnite Master doesn’t appear to have directly monetized content.

Overall, I’d recommend that you contact your own attorney if you want to proceed with your plan. This isn’t the kind of project that Epic sanctions.