Need some advice for a free game

[Diarandor]

Hi,

I am creating a game with Solarus (which is still at a very early stage). I would like the game to be free (free as in freedom), but I need some advice (I am new to these things). Do you recommend me to use github to store all the data files?

I am creating all resources such as sounds, music and sprites for the game, so I am afraid of loosing my work if someone steals registers these resources (in case this is possible for a free game that uses them). Would it be safe if I just put all the data on github? Or must I do something more to make these other resources (not the code) to be free (as in freedom) too?

PS: of course, I know that if the game is free and open-source anyone could use my resources for a game (and even sell them), I don't mind that. The point is that I want to avoid someone to register these resources as his property, which would make me loose the right of using them in my game. (I want these resources to be free, so anyone can use them.)

Thanks in advance!

[oclero]

Do you know this website ? http://choosealicense.com/

[Diarandor]

Thanks. (Yes, I had already seen that website. But I was still confused.)

-So, what I need to do is just to copy-paste the info of the GPL license into a file LICENSE.txt in the data. Is that all? And how could I prove later that I was the creator of that game in case I need it?

-Another question. Is the GPL license applied to my art (sprites/tilesets, sounds and music) too? Or should I use a different license for my art? I have read about the creative commons licenses, and also about the website opengameart.org, but I am not sure if this is necessary for my purpose and/or recommendable.

I was considering to use the GPL license for the game, so I could even distribute the game with the engine, if I am not wrong. Would you recommend using a different license?

Thanks again

[Diarandor]

I just realized that creative commons licenses are not compatible with the GPL (although I am not sure at all). Probably I would need either to choose a non GPL license for the game, or not to use the creative commons license for the art  (which one do you think would fit my purpose?).

[oclero]

Creative Commons are not compatible ? Oh s*** , that is the licence I used for Solarus logos!  So I have to change. Where did you find this ?

Yes you just have to copy/paste the licence file in your data, and you can also use an abbreviated licence in each file. Also, I've never understood how this can prevent a company to use the files without telling anyone... But that's how it works, so let's hope people are nice and generous. 

If you register everything with GPL, it means anyone can see it, modify it, share it or even sell it. But there is one condition : they must give to every modification or addition the same licence. So if they sell it, people would be stupid to pay because they can get still it for free. So that would be the licence to choose.

[Diarandor]

Thanks a lot!

In this websites they say that CC and GPL are not compatible, or something like that, but I don't know if all this info is completely trustable.
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Creative_Commons_License_vs_GPL
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/creative-commons-verses-gpl
https://wiki.creativecommons.org/GPL_compatibility_use_cases

PS: I hope people to be nice too... 

[Diarandor]

I found some interesting things related copyrights:
http://www.artbusiness.com/register_and_copyright_art_for_artists.html
http://copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf
http://info.legalzoom.com/copyright-laws-video-games-20305.html
http://www.teachingcopyright.org/handout/copyright-faq

It seems that it is not necessary to formalize the copyright, but it may help to prove authorship in case of infringement. I think this is the place to do it:
http://www.copyright.gov/

(I hate this kind of legal bureau crazy bureaucracy...  )

[Diarandor]

Finally, I found here the answer I have been looking for all this time:

http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.en.html

It seems that the license of the game (for instace, a GPL one) does not affect to the art (sprites, music, etc), which is considered as non-functional data. So that using the CC license for the art would be fine, as far as I understand.