Copyright and licenses
Can we use this song?
Kai found a great song online for the Hyper Shards trailer, and a cool ship sprite from another game. Both are free to download. Can we use them?
Probably not. Being easy to download does not make something free to use. To see why, we need two ideas every studio lives by: copyright and licenses.
Copyright is automatic
Copyright is the legal right to decide who may copy, share, change or sell a creative work: art, music, code, writing, fonts and characters. It starts automatically the moment the work is made. No form, no fee, and no © symbol needed. In many countries it lasts until 70 years after the creator dies.
It protects us too. Hyper Shards' code and art are copyrighted, and the team writes down that what we make for the studio belongs to the company, the studio's legal business.
Quick check
A drawing posted online without a © symbol is free for anyone to use in a paid game.
- True
- False
Show the answer
False
Copyright starts automatically when a work is made. No symbol is needed. Unless the creator gives permission, it is theirs to control.
Licenses: permission in writing
A license is the creator's written permission, with rules. Always read which kind it is:
- Public domain or CC0Free for anything, even in a paid game. No credit needed, but giving it is kind.
- Creative Commons BYFree to use if we credit the creator the way they ask. "NC" (non-commercial) versions forbid paid games.
- Paid commercial licenseWe buy the right to use it in a product we sell. Read what it covers.
- Personal use onlyCommon with fonts. Fine for a school poster, not for a game we sell.
Safe to use?
We are choosing assets for paid Hyper Shards. Which one is safe to use?
- A font labelled "free for personal use"
- Explosion sounds released as CC0
- A song from a famous film, saved from a video site
- A sprite pack licensed CC BY-NC
Show the answer
Explosion sounds released as CC0
CC0 means the creator gave up their rights, so anyone may use it, even commercially. Personal-use fonts and NC packs forbid selling, and the film song needs permission we don't have.
Keep a credits and license list
Every asset we did not make ourselves goes on one list, kept in the repo next to the code. For each one we write:
- What it is and where we got it (with the link)
- Who made it
- Which license, and what it requires
- The credit line, if one is needed
The credit lines also go on the game's credits screen. If anyone ever asks, we can prove we had permission.
AI-made assets
The studio uses three AI tools from Google: Lyria 3.5 for music (in the Flow Music app), Nano Banana 2 for images and Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash for video. AI assets have their own questions:
- Do the tool's terms allow commercial use? Check each tool's terms separately before anything goes in a paid game.
- Who owns the result? It depends on the country. Some say a work made entirely by AI, without enough human creativity, can't be copyrighted at all. These rules are still changing.
- Never ask an AI to copy a famous song, artist or character.
We note the tool and date on our license list too.
Bolt says: The Checking what the AI made lesson, later in this stage, shows the studio's full checking routine.
Quick check
The Hyper Shards trailer uses a Lyria 3.5 track, Nano Banana 2 ship art and a Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash video clip. What must we check first?
- That each tool's terms allow commercial use
- Nothing, because AI-made assets are always free to use
- Only the music, because images and video have no rules
Show the answer
That each tool's terms allow commercial use
Each AI tool has its own terms, and some limit commercial use. Checking all three, and writing the answers on our license list, keeps the trailer safe.
Fan art, and copyright vs trademark
- Other games' charactersFamous heroes belong to their owners. Fan art is fun to draw, but it can't go in a game we sell.
- CopyrightProtects the creative work itself: the art, the music, the code.
- TrademarkProtects names and logos that show who a product comes from, like a studio name. More in the Name, logo and trademarks lesson.
Bolt says: Next up: fan games, remixes and derivative works. Then open-source code and free assets.
Player message
You should add a famous cartoon hero as a secret ship in Hyper Shards! Everyone would buy it!
What is the best reply from the studio?
- Great idea, we will draw the hero ourselves so it is fine
- Thanks! That character belongs to someone else, so we can't use it, but we would love your ideas for an original ship
- Ignore the message
Show the answer
Thanks! That character belongs to someone else, so we can't use it, but we would love your ideas for an original ship
Drawing a famous character yourself is still copying it. A friendly no, plus an invitation to suggest an original idea, keeps the game legal and the player happy.
Fact-checked 9 October 2026
- US Copyright Office: Copyright in general (FAQ) copyright.gov
- US Copyright Office: How long does copyright last? copyright.gov
- Creative Commons: About CC licenses creativecommons.org
- US Copyright Office: AI report Part 2, copyrightability copyright.gov
- SCOTUSblog: Thaler v. Perlmutter scotusblog.com
- USPTO: What is a trademark? uspto.gov