One of the best parts of our job as developers is seeing all of the wonderful concepts and creations that our work inspires. Members of the Hero Hunters community have done a great job showing their support by coming up with their own Hero concepts and posting them in our Community Gallery.
However, you need to make sure that any art and images you post are correctly credited and sourced. A lot of the concepts we see, while original, feature visual inspiration images that are directly lifted from other artist’s websites and, in some cases, other copyrighted works. We need to ensure we’re protecting the intellectual property of the creators of these images whenever possible.
Starting today, we’ll be asking the community to adhere to these guidelines as much as possible.
1) Source the Work
If you post an image that you didn’t create, find out who did create it, and source it. This can be done by providing a link to the original website it appeared on (not the Google image search link you got it from) and naming the artist/entity that created and owns the artwork. If it’s fan art, you’ll need to source the artist and, where applicable, note who owns the character.
Example: If you’re posting fanart of Predator, you’ll need to link to the artist and name them, and also note that Predator is owned by 20th Century Studios.
2) If You Can’t Source It, Be Reasonable
Mention that you do not own this work and that it’s not your art directly beneath the posted image. Don’t be lazy! If an artist took the time to create artwork for you to enjoy, you can take the time to find who they were and give them credit. We’ll cut you a break if you really can’t find the source, so long as you provide the above disclaimer, but don’t abuse the system, or you may no longer be allowed to post images or Hero concepts on the forums.
3) Changes Don’t Grant Ownership
If you take fanart of Predator and color his claws neon green, you haven’t created a new piece of art that you own. You still need to credit the artist. If you trace the image and create a whole new work, that’s debatable. If you use the artist’s work as a reference and create something unique, that’s allowed. But be warned that ten minutes in Photoshop doesn’t provide a loophole.
The goal is to ensure hard-working artists get their due. We want to continue to support your creativity, and we understand that not everyone is a skilled artist, but we need to be fair to the artists as well.
Thanks for your understanding! We look forward to seeing what kind of fan-made Hero concepts you come up with in the future!