Hello, I have some questions

RageBoxAlice · **Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2015 6:53 pm

Thanks, sent a second email. Hopefully I'll hear something this time!

RageBoxAlice · **Posted:** Thu Jun 04, 2015 3:07 pm

Okay, so it's been almost 4 months since I sent my first email, and I don't even know what to say. I've heard nothing back after either email, not even a "we'll answer as soon as we can". I'm trying to be understanding and not angry about the silence.

I've decided that at some point soon I will go ahead and continue the monetized videos. If Legal can't get off their tushies to answer me before this point, maybe they can once I'm making money from their content.

Rayhdeeyoh · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2015 8:53 am

RageBoxAlice wrote:

Okay, so it's been almost 4 months since I sent my first email, and I don't even know what to say. I've heard nothing back after either email, not even a "we'll answer as soon as we can". I'm trying to be understanding and not angry about the silence.

I've decided that at some point soon I will go ahead and continue the monetized videos. If Legal can't get off their tushies to answer me before this point, maybe they can once I'm making money from their content.

That must be disappointing for you. On the other hand, it's still their content. They're not obliged to answer you. As long as you don't have a YES, I'd assume NO.

Tweek · **Joined:** Tue May 09, 2006 12:11 am **Posts:** 2633

At the moment things are ramping up for Obduction as the game is due to be released this year IIRC (people spending their weekends in the office trying to get stuff finished).

The rock is hard, the rock-biter is patient.

Mac_Fife · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2015 6:57 pm

RageBoxAlice wrote:

I've decided that at some point soon I will go ahead and continue the monetized videos. If Legal can't get off their tushies to answer me before this point, maybe they can once I'm making money from their content.

I'd strongly advise against that. Cyan is still a small outfit and very stretched, so it takes a long time for things to get to the head of the queue. Some of us have waited years to get proper answers to enquiries, and I believe there many like yours in the Inbox.

belford · **Joined:** Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1890

Assume that Cyan will never reply. What you do with that assumption is up to you.

AdamJohnso · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2015 8:57 pm

Fair use, so I don't see any problem. Good luck with your videos.

Jamie Marchant · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2015 10:05 pm

Actually 'Let's Plays' are a 'grey area', I'm not really sure what the legality of them is. Also copyright laws very from place to place. With all the content id problems, it's probably better to get promistion now then beg for forgiveness later.

Mac_Fife · **Posted:** Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:30 pm

I don't think the "Let's Play" idea is actually a problem. As Adam says it'd probably be Fair Use (though the definition varies between countries). The potential sticking point is monetisation of Cyan's content by a third party - I have a feeling that Tony or Rand might have an objection to that.

tommyap · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:42 am

You are far from the first player to create a walkthrough video. So continuing will not create a precedent.
It seems unlikely that all the others had permission, or even asked for it. You did.
I have not seen any reaction from Cyan to those earlier videos, so i guess you will be OK.
I watched your first episode and like to see the next one.

Mac_Fife · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2015 3:33 pm

I'd be more cautious than that, tommyap. As I said above it's not the making of a walkthrough video that is the question, but monetisation of Cyan's copyright material for personal benefit. That is really what rageboxalice was enquiring about.

Eleri · **Posted:** Mon Jun 29, 2015 12:58 am

Mac_Fife wrote:

The potential sticking point is monetisation of Cyan's content by a third party - I have a feeling that Tony or Rand might have an objection to that.

Having worked with Cyan Legal on several things involving Cyan's IP and money, I think I can safely say that doing anything that makes money off of their IP without waiting for clearly stated permission is a Bad Idea.

Not only does it give them something legally actionable (which wastes everybody's time and money), but it also says that you didn't respect their IP enough to wait for their permission- after that you'd be hard pressed to get any future permissions, for anything. Especially if you publicly snark at them in their own space for not giving you permission when you want it.

As people have mentioned above, they're laser-focused on Obduction, and Myst-related things are low priority. And I wouldn't be surprised if there was research they wanted to do on the legal ramifications of monitized Let's Play videos of their IP.

Hello, I have some questions

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