Asset Store fair use / infringement of assets in kickstarter?

I think you best take a look at this:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/246336969/polywar

 

Uh, the video was all cut clips from the asset store video.

And 50,000 GBP by February..?
Its 24th Jan by now.

 

Perfectly legal use of assets. If an asset is purchased, the game is legally allowed to use the assets and be for sale.

 

It may be legal, but...

...I wouldn't say downloading an asset is a big investment of time and money. There is nothing presented on their entire kickstarter campaign that is original work (they may have done original work, but they haven't shown it). They are misrepresenting this asset as proof of work they have done - offering it as a guarantee that they are capable of finishing this game and worthy to be funded. But actually they have done (or shown) nothing original.

But it's no big deal. They won't be funded and it might (hopefully) drive a few asset sales to beffio.

 

That's just a crap kickstarter full of cheese and nothing else. It doesn't make it less legal.

 

I think it's both an amusing and feeble attempt of jumping into the kickstarter craze, nothing less.

Edit: Ok after checking out gamesmiths.com, looks like they're quite the scams
Edit2: Hopefully we don't hijack this thread with this topic though.

 

Hi there,

Thanks for the info! I'm going to ask Unity3D Asset Store Team what they think about it.

Personally, I think he can use that asset as a part of a game (of course, as long as he legally bought it), HOWEVER as a few people've already mentioned - he is using my marketing materials to promote his Kickstarter and hasn't really come up with anything new himself. We do not sell marketing materials such as videos or screenshoots on the Asset Store. He gives credit to himself for creating all that content, which really isn't true at all. In all honesty, it is just unfair to me, expecially if he tricks people into investing in him based solely on materials that were not made by him in any percent.

Cheers,
Tom Lassota
beffio

 

AFAIK it's acceptable to do so, since he is marketing a game. If such restrictions on marketing existed, nobody would be able to show any screenshots of their games. Kickstarter is essentially selling, and indeed Epic charge 5% here as if you were selling it.

The terms for asset store prevent someone selling or marketing the assets themselves -as assets-, not part of a game. I know it kind of sucks but I don't think there's a case here.

What you can do is ask for his invoice number. No invoice number = take down request on kickstarter.

 

Thanks for your opinion @hippocoder , but ATM I do not agree and I will be seeking Asset Store's official standpoint on this matter.

Also I'd be greatful if this conversation could move to a new thread, since I wish this particular thread only served as my Asset's Support Thread.

Thanks,
Tom

 

I guess if he's using your video clips, that's not allowed without your permission.

 

I agree that it would be fine to use assets to make a game and to get crowdfunding to support development. It's probably a Kickstarter issue more than an Asset Store Infringement. I'll leave it to @beffio as to whether he wants to take it up with Kickstarter themselves.

By claiming to have 'put a great deal of effort in' is misleading which is against KS terms - It is deeply dishonest to pretend you've done a load of development when you've just taken a bare asset and then scalped even the marketing videos from a Unity Asset Store provider. Trying to gain money by false pretenses is arguably one of the very definitions of fraud.

If you take note of the developer's own web site- linked from the KS - they offer licencing and 'rights buyouts' to full clone games:
http://smithmediastudios.com/appcoders/bubblewitch.html Other than this so-called Polywar there doesn't appear to be anything else on offer there.

Now I haven't seen if any of those blatant clone offerings are made from Unity Assets but I think if I were you @beffio I'd be making a strong assertion of your work which ISN'T legitimately used from the Asset Store. (Such as your videos) because the last thing you want is anyone adding your asset to a 'buy out bundle' for $15000.

Plus if you read this thread (assuming the Op who first raises it is posting genuine chats with the so-called developer of "Polywar") They appear to be claiming outright that it's all their own work and concepts. The whole thing is fishy.

http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/is-this-illegal.293102/#post-1933646