Guild Wars 2

How does one go about reporting someone violating Anets copyright?

I would start with a support incident. When I reported an exploit, they then put me in contact with the anti-exploit team. I suspect copyright issues are handled similarly.

Daddicus.6128:

I would start with a support incident. When I reported an exploit, they then put me in contact with the anti-exploit team. I suspect copyright issues are handled similarly.

Thanks, it’s worth a shot.

If you are thinking about that kittenty chinese mmo defense of the league of titans watch or whatever the kitten they call it then Anet already knows.

Dawdler.8521:

If you are thinking about that kittenty chinese mmo defense of the league of titans watch or whatever the kitten they call it then Anet already knows.

Oh no, this:
http://nerdapproved.com/toys/prime-swords-dragons/

ShadowGryphon.6257:

Dawdler.8521:

If you are thinking about that kittenty chinese mmo defense of the league of titans watch or whatever the kitten they call it then Anet already knows.

Oh no, this:
http://nerdapproved.com/toys/prime-swords-dragons/

Not a copyright violation. Neither “dragon sword” nor “steampunk sword” was originally an Anet thing.

The two dragon swords do look a lot like the GW1/2 versions.

But it’s not really for us to say. Especially since copyright law is can be horribly complicated in situations like this where it’s not a direct copy, it just looks similar enough that it could have been copied, or it could be a total coincidence.

Contact Support and let them know and then Anet can decide how they want to handle it and if necessary the legal system can make the final decision.

Danikat.8537:

The two dragon swords do look a lot like the GW1/2 versions.

But it’s not really for us to say. Especially since copyright law is can be horribly complicated in situations like this where it’s not a direct copy, it just looks similar enough that it could have been copied, or it could be a total coincidence.

Contact Support and let them know and then Anet can decide how they want to handle it and if necessary the legal system can make the final decision.

Yeah, it’s pretty obvious the designer has seen the flame/ice swords in GW2, along with a couple million other people. But the blade is different, the dragon heads are similar but not exact copies, and proving in court that he used them as the models for a derivative product isn’t as easy as it sounds.

They look like pretty poor quality knockoffs anyway, a C&D letter from Anet’s legal department might get them to redesign the dragon heads a bit but it’s unlikely they will stop it altogether.

Danikat.8537:

The two dragon swords do look a lot like the GW1/2 versions.

But it’s not really for us to say. Especially since copyright law is can be horribly complicated in situations like this where it’s not a direct copy, it just looks similar enough that it could have been copied, or it could be a total coincidence.

Contact Support and let them know and then Anet can decide how they want to handle it and if necessary the legal system can make the final decision.

Hence the reason for letting Anet know.

tolunart.2095:

Yeah, it’s pretty obvious the designer has seen the flame/ice swords in GW2, along with a couple million other people. But the blade is different, the dragon heads are similar but not exact copies, and proving in court that he used them as the models for a derivative product isn’t as easy as it sounds.

They look like pretty poor quality knockoffs anyway, a C&D letter from Anet’s legal department might get them to redesign the dragon heads a bit but it’s unlikely they will stop it altogether.

That’s exactly the problem.
Given the extreme similarities to Anets IP (I.E.: the dragon swords) and the fact that if one person (me) would recognize them for what they are, others will too.
Further, given that Anet put them out in the game before these toys, Anet has the claim on them first and licensing would be in their domain.

It would be very difficult to prove that these toys came about spontaneously.

See it as a compliment, their are a lot of low budget games that being inspired by games with great artwork like GW.

droogje.6053:

See it as an compliment, their are a lot of low budget games that that being inspired by games with great artwork like GW.

THERE is a huge difference something being an inspiration and an obvious ripoff.
Except for the missing prongs, these are totally and unashamedly plagiarized.

So I quickly made a side-by-side comparison of them.

I see where OP is coming from. They are all swords where the hilt is a dragon’s head and the blade is the breath of the dragon… and inspired by both fire and ice.

But for me, that’s where the similarities end. The foam swords don’t follow the exact lines or design. The head shape, position and colour palettes are vastly different. The blades are also very different.

I think it would be tough to “win” this one- I don’t think A-net could say that they owned every elemental dragon-head-hilted sword.

Quick edit: I will say that it’s good that you (OP) are concerned about these sorts of things and will show CS! At the end of the day, they are the ones that will make the call about copyright and how similar (or not) the designs are.

I just think it’s important to say that some things are just coincidence- not everything has to be a copyright breach as there are only so many fresh ideas. If the design was very similar to a more abstract weapon, I’d probably agree with you more OP. Just… dragons are very popular and are often portrayed as breathing fire or ice.

I seriously doubt Anet can claim copyright on an ingame weapon compared to a real life toy. Especially not one which combine the two generic aspects of dragons and swords.

If this is the case then Anet – and every other developer – would already be violating copyrights on… uh… everything.

ShadowGryphon.6257:

It would be very difficult to prove that these toys came about spontaneously.

There’s a difference between legal procedure and common sense.

The burden of proof is on the accuser (Anet if they were to sue) to prove that the designs are theirs. Comparing digital artwork to a real-world item is not that simple. And that’s assuming both parties are based in the US and subject to US copyright law. International lawsuits are… complicated.

This is not the first time something like this has happened. There have been plenty of toys over the years, for example, that look like the lightsabers from Star Wars to the casual observer. But call them “laser swords” and change the design of the hilt and there’s little Lucasfilm can do to to stop them from being sold.

This is all academic anyway.
All I can do is direct it to CS (and they’ve forwarded it to legal according to the email I received) and let them do as they see fit.

As a musician I’ve dealt with copyright issues aplenty (all copyrights are the same regardless of what the object in question is) and I know that I am happy when someone lets me know I’m getting hosed.
I felt it only fair to appraise Anet.

Thanks for the feedback and discussion!

THIS is why we are the best community in MMOdom, no idiocy or flaming just a civil sharing of points of view.