Legality?

[rwiggum]

Alright, so I'm new here, and I love what this site is doing. I'm looking forward to trying my hand at making some covers, but first I have a quick question.

I just got back from Kinko's after getting my Wiisports cover printed, and as I left, the guy said "Just for future reference, we can't do this in the future due to copyright infringement." I thanked him and left, but started to wonder. I like getting them done at Kinko's because they are really high-quality, but is there any way I could dispute this next time? I understand that the characters and names are copyrighted by nintendo, but since many of the covers are custom-made, would this have any effect?

Thanks in advance.

[4tyGames]

"Just for future reference, we can't do this in the future due to copyright infringement." I thanked him and left, but started to wonder.

The worst thing that will happen is that they shut down the site and thats it. Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, etc. are more interested in protecting their games from emulators and roms than a bunch of covers.

This site is a great service for gamers, here are a few of reasons:

1. It is a great way to protect and organize your investment (games). Nintendo offers no good way to protect and organize n64 games. When I go to a friend's house, most of the time the n64 cartridges are scattered everywhere or thrown into a drawer. This site offers a great way to protect your games from dust, sunlight, etc. and helps you organize them. Now I am able to put my n64 games next to my GameCube and DS games.

2. There is absolutely no profit being made from this website. The money you donate through the paypal link goes straight back into the site  helping to run servers. There have been thousands and thousands of downloads since this site began and bandwidth is expensive.

3. Look into a current issue of Nintendo Power. People create Nintendo brand cakes, costumes, calculator games and more and Nintendo hasn't stuck them with a lawsuit.

4. ebgames.com and gamestop.com are horrible places to buy used games. No one has any idea if they are just going to get a full game with case and manual or just a disc. I can finally buy that rare game that is disc only, go home, print off a cover, and place it on the shelf with my other games.

I hope this helps. Just try another print shop next time if problems arise.

[Snowcone]

Well said 4tyGames. Kinkos ultimately has the "right to refuse service to anyone" so they can technically still refuse to print it out if they see it as copyrighted. Technically the artwork is copyrighted, but reproducing copyrighted works such as photos owned by a photo studio is drastically different from printing off a cover insert.

I don't know that there is anything you can say to the print shop to change their mind though.

[omyard]

Like 4tygames said the big guys care more about their games then the covers. Odds are if you're making or using a cover you probably own their game already. Which is all the care about.

[TheValeman]

I have a mate who is in charge of a huge printing house that does work for major Banks and other establishments and he printed off a whole heap of Dreamcast covers for me a couple of years ago.

However, consumer printers have advanced to such a degree now that I think you can get a flippin fantastic quaity print onto glossy paper that is every bit as good as those ones I got done professionally.

At the end of the day ... with todays printers ... it's the quality of the file that really determines the quality of the printout if you use a good printer and good paper. And you need to do a lot of printing before Kinkos becomes more cost effective.

[Snowcone]

I was thinking about this last night and I thought up a great way that this is 100% legal. When you buy a game you are essentially licensing it from the dev/pub right? That license includes a copy of the boxart/insert. So it is well within your legal right to preserve that boxart as your license should cover everything in the packaging.

[Bondo]

Alas though, Kinko's employees are told explicitly that if they suspect something is copyrighted, to refuse service.  Your best bet is to use the self service printer, which will print at a quality equal to their color copier they use behind the counter.  Sometimes, you can find an employee who is also a gamer.  This employee will understand, and if you find yourself in a position where you are fortunate enough to know such an employee, good for you.