Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So im pretty sure this is against copyright laws but im not sure and not really sure where to look it up on the net so i figured i would see if some of you guys might know for sure.

Can i make GW items from greenstuff not to sell but just use it for my own models? Again im pretty sure i cant due to copyright but wanted to make sure on it.

Thanks for any input.

if it's just for yourself go for it...

As GW constantly says "to use your imagination" and "send us pics of your work!!"...

If it's a 1:1 replica of something GW owns copyright on, then possession of it and the production of it are both illegal.

That being said, if you sculpt something SIMILAR to a GW item, then you should be fine.

Sculpting GW items from scratch is just as illegal as recasting them in resin.

If it's a shoulder pad or such, just make sure to make a unique design and you'll be fine.

Lennysfury wrote:So im pretty sure this is against copyright laws but im not sure and not really sure where to look it up on the net so i figured i would see if some of you guys might know for sure.

Can i make GW items from greenstuff not to sell but just use it for my own models? Again im pretty sure i cant due to copyright but wanted to make sure on it.

Thanks for any input.

Games Workshop explicitly allows this in their IP terms of use. You want to go to the "conversions" section.

You may have more legal rights in your jurisdiction then the TOS gives you, it's necessarily as conservative as possible. If you're going to sell anything, get a lawyer. Otherwise you should be fine.

As a side note, these threads get real stupid, real fast. When you look back on the smoking ruin of this, later, and ask how it happened, I can only tell you it wasn't your fault.

They allow one offs. So if you want 60 of those shoulderpads, it's against their ToS which isn't necessarily the same as illegal.

They, as the copyright owners, are allowing singles to be made for custom projects and the like. If you are making 20 meltas so that you don't have to buy them then you are going outside that allowance.

Personal use replications of GW copyrighted works are a violation of US(and in most cases UK) IP law. It doesn't matter if you sell them or not.

Are you sure posession is illegal? I remember a WD article that showed how to make a mold to recast things like grenades and purity seals. While small, it was 1:1 recreation, and not for one offs.

The only legal issue should be if you try to sell it.

Copyright law says that ANY unauthorized reproduction of a work is illegal.

GW could tell you how to pirate models all they want, and they could STILL sue you for doing it without permission.

Downloading music without paying for it is illegal yet most people aren't doing it to sell. It's still illegal use of a copyrighted work.

And yes, possession of illegal goods is itself illegal.

What it comes down to is risk. It's exactly like speeding on the highway. What are the odds that you'll get caught? Depends on the situation really. And it's the same here.

Odds are, unless you flaunt your recasts, that no one will notice, and therefore no one will care. But don't get confused and think that just because it's for personal use that it isn't still very much illegal.

There's nothing wrong with making a press mould to copy your own design.

GW say "Use your imagination", not "Use our imagination".


Automatically Appended Next Post:
There's a fairly easy way to approach any copyright question.

Am I copying someone else's work?

If yes, then there is a good chance I should not do it.

The grey area is when the work being copied isn't sufficiently original to be protected. The purity seal is a good example. It's a rosette.



I am free to make as many rosettes as I like, providing I make my own master sculpt.