Roll20 uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. Cookies enable you to enjoy certain features, social sharing functionality, and tailor message and display ads to your interests on our site and others. They also help us understand how our site is being used. By continuing to use our site, you consent to our use of cookies. Update your cookie preferences .
×
Create a free account
This post has been closed. You can still view previous posts, but you can't post any new replies.

using Real Life assets in Roll20

Hey Fellow Roleplayers! I did a quick delve through the Forums here and couldn't quite find the answer to my question. I'm going to put it here, and hope for answers, or links to topics which contain my answers. I'm an avid D&D player, i've been playing, and subsequently buying a lot of D&D 4th ed resources. i own almost every published 4th ed book and all the dungeon tiles. (i bet you just saw where this was going) so, owning all these awesome tiles, and tokens is a great thing. until you want to game with your friends that live in another country, over the internet. my question is this: Is it okay of me to scan these assets i've spent hundreds of dollars collecting, IRL, and using them. for my OWN USE, not for resale or redistribution, within Roll20? i'm really hoping the answer here is yes, as i'd be a very ecstatic DM!!! thanks for your time, and may the dice roll in your favour. Moltari
Moltari, Without more specific information I can't give you a definitive answer. I would assume that most content creators would be fine with you using something digitally that you own a physical copy of as long as you're not distributing it to others. However, I can say that in general we do not monitor what is uploaded into individual accounts. Per our Terms of Service, if we receive a DMCA takedown notice for that content, we will be forced to comply and remove it. I can say that the likelihood of receiving a DMCA notice for something that you're using in your own personal account and not sharing publicly is about nil. Of course, I am not a lawyer, nor is this legal advice :-)
1343041540
matt p.
Marketplace Creator
If a tree falls in the woods can anyone sue it for copyright infringement?
I am of the opinion that it should be alright, many of the tokens are already available in the Roll20 libraries. Also since WOTC is abandoning D&D4E for another version (makes like 4 in less than 10 years), 5th Edition, I think they will let 4E go just like they let 3.5 go. I do seem to recall that 3.5 had an Open Gaming License, that 4E did not. But you've paid them for their product how you choose to use it is not under their control and since you are not trying to make money off of them, or redistribute the material I think you should be fine.
Not to burst your bubble, but the books and materials you've purchased likely contain the following clause (or equivalent): "No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publishers." Yes, your intentions are altruistic, and yes, you purchased the physical products, but in nearly every case you'd need permission to reproduce material. That being said, because roll20 campaigns are largely inaccessible by outsiders, and your personal library isn't shared with others as far as I know, it limits opportunities for people to access that material (besides your players), so publishers wouldn't likely be too concerned with bringing the hammer down on you.