Background Usage Help?

[u-mika]

Hi! I'm making a visual novel (my first one, actually), but I really need help with the clarification of the Creative Commons. I understand that I need to credit those who place Creative Commons according to their licenses, however...

The images I'm targeting for my visual novel are mainly images from well-known (or not so well-known) palaces and residences. I'm mainly looking at interiors and exteriors of palaces and houses like the Versailles palace, the Petit Trianon, Chatsworth House and such to name a few. I'm mainly focusing on Wikimedia Commons for the source of my backgrounds, so I'm really not sure whether to actually proceed with my visual novel with the hindrance of not knowing whether it is safe and legal to use images of famous palaces.

A few example links are
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... Saal_7.jpg,
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... auline.jpg
and
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... Saal_1.jpg

Thank you very much!

[Asceai]

All the info is there on those pages. Those 3 images are all things you can use.

What you're looking for:
- Remix/Adapt - make sure you're allowed to do this
- Attribution - if it says so, you need to credit the source. That information should be available where you found the image, because they of course need to credit it too. Do this by including a readme with your game, putting the source in the credits, whatever.

Here is a list of Creative Commons licenses
- You need to stay away from ND (No Derivatives) licenses, because your VN will technically be a derivative work.
- If you think you may ever want to sell your VN, you must stay away from NC (Non-Commercial) licenses.
- If it's a BY license, you must credit the original creator.

[u-mika]

Thank you very much! I was worried that due to the fame of the depicted images, there would be legal problems even if there were Creative Commons. My work is non-commercial, and I was not sure how to proceed in case people notice the familiarity of the scenery. Thank you!

[EwanG]

Thank you very much! I was worried that due to the fame of the depicted images, there would be legal problems even if there were Creative Commons. My work is non-commercial, and I was not sure how to proceed in case people notice the familiarity of the scenery. Thank you!

While there may not be a legal issue, the familiarity of the scenery will get comments if it isn't tied in closely to your actual story. IOW if you are showing Versailles in the background and the story tries to play that you are in a court in Japan... that might not go over too well. On the other hand if you're doing a VN about Louis XVI...