Right to use product in game
by Dan - · in General Discussion · 06/11/2005 (8:25 am) · 5 replies
There have been many discussions stating if you want to use a particular model of a car or soda or whatever in your game you need to get their permission. Seems to be the "right" thing to do, but I have read that you could get in trouble if you don't.
Today I was watching a Pepsi commercial where they had animated coke cans. Does anyone know how a the laws work with respect to that? I am assuming that Pepsi didn't have to get Coke's permission to use their can and likeness and an animated character complaining about how nosey the Pepsi cans are.
Could I have an animated coke can in my game? My only thought is that in this particular case, both Coke and Pepsi have used the other in a commercial so they might have passed the point where they could say "unfair use"
Any thoughts?
Today I was watching a Pepsi commercial where they had animated coke cans. Does anyone know how a the laws work with respect to that? I am assuming that Pepsi didn't have to get Coke's permission to use their can and likeness and an animated character complaining about how nosey the Pepsi cans are.
Could I have an animated coke can in my game? My only thought is that in this particular case, both Coke and Pepsi have used the other in a commercial so they might have passed the point where they could say "unfair use"
Any thoughts?
#2
06/11/2005 (9:42 am)
You can bet that their sizable legal teams with a weekly salary more than most of us have combined annually have worked out an agreement. Such agreements are extremely common, and also explicitly defined by massive groups of lawyers that we don't have access to. 
#3
1- internet advertising stocks are the darlings of the market nowadays... games aint that far away from the net
2- get em while they're young... embed your product brand into the minds of the future customers
as long as the game is not one of those games preaching DOOM and gloom, or advocating the extermination of the faeries or anything like that, i think some comapnies might even pay to have their brands as part of the scenery... as opposed to letting some other company beat em out...
yes.... no....
--Mike
06/11/2005 (10:06 am)
On the other side of the coin... i'm sure that there are a few companies out there that want to get their namebrands into some of video games... i mean...1- internet advertising stocks are the darlings of the market nowadays... games aint that far away from the net
2- get em while they're young... embed your product brand into the minds of the future customers
as long as the game is not one of those games preaching DOOM and gloom, or advocating the extermination of the faeries or anything like that, i think some comapnies might even pay to have their brands as part of the scenery... as opposed to letting some other company beat em out...
yes.... no....
--Mike
#4
06/17/2005 (4:53 pm)
I agree with Michael... some companies _might_ pay to advertise their company/products in your game if it is somewhat mainstream/G-rated.. or something like that. 
#5
06/17/2005 (4:58 pm)
Well if you weren't attached to a specific product you might e-mail around opportunities for said companies to purchase advertising in your game *shrug*, worth a try :) 
Torque Owner Brian -Cybore- Smith
Hostile Ai