A few questions about copyright...

[Argeus_the_Paladin]

So, I am new to the Ren'Py engine, and already I am hooked. I've been working quite hard over the last few days on my first project, "Polska 1647", and enjoyed every minute of it.

However, I have one question I would like to ask regarding copyright. Since the subject of my project was very much nonfiction (i.e. Alternate History - how the Polish Deluge and the fall of the Rzeczpozpolita could have been averted or made worse), I have been using a lot of internet resources - pictures and portraits, for instance.

What are the odds that such use will get me into trouble if I try to distribute my work as freeware once (or rather, if) it's done?

Thanks for your help!

[rioka]

I don't think you would have a problem if you were making it for freeware as most people are okay with it but generally speaking, it is polite to ask for permission to use the images (and songs if you are considering that in the future). Portraits, you may run into problems as they are true images of real-life people. Unless they've been dead a very long time (like Shakespeare long) or are public figures, I wouldn't use them. Can you draw or know someone who can draw? Or can you at least manipulate the portraits in Photoshop or other graphic software? You can filter the images so it's a bit more obscure or artistic. That can blur the lines a bit on usage.

[Argeus_the_Paladin]

Well, the people aren't exactly Shakespeare-long dead, but not far off. For instance, Bohdan Khmelnytsky has been dead for 350 years now. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the protagonist of the VN, arguably, has ceased to exist since the 1790s.

As for the other pictures, I mostly found them on Wikipedia or googling obscure websites. Like this one.

Oh, and another question while I am at it - Am I allowed to post my WIP on the Game Maker's Corner subforum? Because my project is neither ren'ai nor shoujo, and has absolutely nothing to do with anime, style or otherwise...

[Anima]

From a legal point of view, it does not make a difference if your work is freeware or not. A copyright violations is still a copyright violation. Which means that you can get into real trouble if someone takes offence. That said, works usually enter the public domain after their creator has been dead for a certain amount of time, which varies by country. Please take note that a photography is still considered an artistic work, and thus protected, even if the object in the photo already entered public domain. This also varies by legislation, of course.

All pictures on wikipedia have the license listed on the pictures page. So look them up.

It's should be fine to open a WIP thread, but it should go to Works in Progress Feedback instead. A look at the Rules Thread is also advisable.

Edit:
I do not practice law, nor is the info in this post legal advice. If you want to be sure, if you can use something safely, please contact a lawyer.

[kinougames]

There is a legal copyright limit after a person has died. Historical pieces are usually considered public domain, but I would check the specific laws in your country just to be sure. However, 350 years after the fact, it's highly likely that the portraits in question have passed into the public domain territory.

[n1ghthaunter]

The copyright length for most countries is about 70 years after the death of the author although you can just search for 'List of countries' copyright length' on wikipedia to get a good idea of what it is for your country