Is it legal to receive donations for a CS?

**Damascus** · 06-07-2012, 03:29 AM

I know it's illegal to sell a custom story for money, but what about receiving donations? My partner is currently a modelling/animation student, and we are juggling the idea of opening a Kickstarter to help him receive some compensation for the time he's putting into the custom enemies.

Anyone know the legality of this?

**jssjr90** · 06-07-2012, 04:54 AM

If you are using any game engine that has a copyright licence to it and or using any models from the original game itself, then yea, I believe it would be illegal. Your making money off other peoples work. In this case, Frictional Games game engine, and models that you are using that is theirs from the original game. So its best if you don't do it.

**RawkBandMan** · 06-07-2012, 05:11 AM

(06-07-2012, 04:54 AM)jssjr90 Wrote: If you are using any game engine that has a copyright licence to it and or using any models from the original game itself, then yea, I believe it would be illegal. Your making money off other peoples work. In this case, Frictional Games game engine, and models that you are using that is theirs from the original game. So its best if you don't do it.

I think you misinterpreted what he said.

His friend is making brand new models with a different program, and then porting them to a .dae file with animations and such. I don't believe he is using anything from the original game at all.

If what I said is correct (And you are just making models and such and not using the engine), then I think it's okay. If you are making these models for a specific custom story and getting donations for the CS, then it's illegal (because you are using the HPL2 engine, which is copyrighted by Frictional Games).

I may be wrong, so correct me if I am.

**Kreekakon** · 06-07-2012, 06:00 AM

I don't think donations are illegal at all. You're not requesting them to pay for the content. It's just that if the user likes what they see, they'll give you money for support. Strictly speaking, they're only giving you money out of their own free will, and you're not charging them for any content.

**Kman** · 06-07-2012, 06:08 AM

Like Kreekakon said, it's totally legal. Even if you were only using content from the base game you could do it, because they aren't paying for the mod, they're simply giving you money because they think you deserve it.

**Juby** · 06-07-2012, 02:24 PM

Donations are perfectly legal.

Selling is another ball game.

**GrAVit** · 06-07-2012, 02:28 PM

IMO, except if you show some people a grunt model from the original game, and say something like: "Like what you see? Donate to us!" That's illegal.

**Kreekakon** · 06-07-2012, 04:45 PM

(06-07-2012, 02:28 PM)GrAVit Wrote: IMO, except if you show some people a grunt model from the original game, and say something like: "Like what you see? Donate to us!" That's illegal.

Strictly speaking they're still not forcing anyone to give money. It's still out of their own free will.

**GrAVit** · 06-07-2012, 04:54 PM

(06-07-2012, 04:45 PM)Kreekakon Wrote:
(06-07-2012, 02:28 PM)GrAVit Wrote: IMO, except if you show some people a grunt model from the original game, and say something like: "Like what you see? Donate to us!" That's illegal.
Strictly speaking they're still not forcing anyone to give money. It's still out of their own free will.

Hmm, yeah. But it's kind of ass-a-holic to do that.

**Kreekakon** · 06-07-2012, 04:58 PM

(06-07-2012, 04:54 PM)GrAVit Wrote: Hmm, yeah. But it's kind of ass-a-holic to do that.

Ass-a-holic, but unfortunately still legal.

Still, no need to worry. Anyone with a brain wouldn't be giving anyone like that a single penny.