DMs Guild DMs Guild & Art work ?

Amatiel · Feb 28, 2016

i see a lot of new DMs Guild Homebrew stuff around these days. And a lot of it includes a certain amount of Art. Where / how do these authors source the Art for their ebooks ? I am assuming you can't just grab whatever cool pics you find from a google-art search and include it in their products?

thorgrit · Feb 28, 2016

There was a front page article about this very topic last week! Worth reading. http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?3250-Self-Publishing-What-s-An-Artist-Worth

Short answer: No, you don't just grab stuff off of Google Image Search.

Quick start, look at the DM's Guild Creator Resource Art Packs, which are explicitly for creators to use in their DMs Guild products for free. http://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?filters=0_0_45476_0_0_0&pto=0&pfrom=0 For more, read the above article, it's filled with info.

Storyteller Hero · Feb 28, 2016

You can search for Art that is in the public domain such as paintings from the Renaissance, or Art with a specific Creative Commons license that allows commercialized use.

There is also transformative fair use, but that can be a bit of a gray zone depending on how much you alter the original sample.

Sacrosanct · Feb 28, 2016

Amatiel said:
i see a lot of new DMs Guild Homebrew stuff around these days. And a lot of it includes a certain amount of Art. Where / how do these authors source the Art for their ebooks ? I am assuming you can't just grab whatever cool pics you find from a google-art search and include it in their products?

No, you can't just go and do that

You can:

* use the free art that is DM's Guild only provided by WoTC on the DM's Guild
* use public domain art
* use your own art, or
* art you have license to use (commissioned by other artists, stock art, etc)

BMaC · Mar 14, 2016

Art is explicitly exempt from the DMs Guild copyright/license so you can use CC-BY or CC-BY-SA (the vast majority of wikimedia commons images) in addition to public domain art. The CC-BY material you have to attribute and you probably should provide a link to the public domain images just to be consistent. The going rate for commissioned art is quite high relative to any $ you'll make from the DMsGuild so your best bet is to find the images yourself.

Quickleaf · Mar 14, 2016

BMaC said:
Art is explicitly exempt from the DMs Guild copyright/license so you can use CC-BY or CC-BY-SA (the vast majority of wikimedia commons images) in addition to public domain art. The CC-BY material you have to attribute and you probably should provide a link to the public domain images just to be consistent. The going rate for commissioned art is quite high relative to any $ you'll make from the DMsGuild so your best bet is to find the images yourself.

Actually, I don't think CC BY-SA is legitimate for DM's Guild. Share Alike requires you to distribute your "contributions" (i.e. your product) "under the same license as the original," with means the CC BY-SA license. And you definitely cannot publish DM's Guild products under the CC BY-SA license since DM's Guild has an entirely different legal structure wherein, essentially, WotC is licensing their IP to fans.

I'm no lawyer, but I've seen this mantra — Yes Public Domain, No CC BY-SA on DM's Guild — repeated by several people more legally astute than I am. My Google Fu is weak tonight, otherwise I'd post a link.

BMaC · Mar 14, 2016

You're fine with CC as long as you avoid non-commerical. The DMs Guild mentions CC specifically:
Logos and Artwork

What kinds of artwork and maps can I use in my DMs Guild titles?

The artwork (illustrations or maps) that you include in your title does not become part of the DMs Guild content which other DMs Guild contributors can use. Here is general advice for these types of artwork:
1. Art and Maps provided by Wizards of the Coast - The art you find in the Resources for DMs Guild Creators category is owned by Wizards and can be freely used in your DMs Guild titles. No other artwork from Wizards of the Coast titles can be used, only the art specifically released for DMs Guild Creators.
2. Public Domain Art - Art that you are certain is in the public domain can be used.
3. Stock Art - Usage of stock art depends on the license associated with that stock art. Most of the stock art sold under the Publisher Resources category on DriveThruRPG includes a license that would allow it to be used in your DMs Guild titles.
4. Commissioned Art - Usage of art that you commission from an artist depends upon your terms with the artist. You must have the rights or license to use the art in your title. The artwork does not become owned by OneBookShelf or Wizards; you simply must have rights to use it in your commercial work.
5. Creative Commons - This depends on the type of creative commons license. Some allow commercial use, others do not.

Quickleaf · Mar 14, 2016

[MENTION=6802386]BMaC[/MENTION] Yes, while all that's true, I'm actually referring to a completely different issue from the commercial question.

Essentially, something released under a CC-ShareAlike license would not be legit in the DM's Guild, because the work would have to be released under the same license and the two licenses (CC-BY-SA and DM's Guild) are incompatible. It's kind of the same problem as using Open Content in the DM's Guild.

At least... that's my non-lawyer understanding.

BMaC · Mar 14, 2016

It's a tricky one, and I'm no lawyer. I agree, SA is the issue. However, 2C exempts all artwork from the category of "User Generated Content." I figure that takes even CC-BY-SA out the loop. The relevant chunks of the DMs Guild contract or whatever are:

2(c) “User Generated Content” shall be defined as the copyrightable elements included in your Work, such as original characters, scenes, locations and events. User Generated content shall not include the illustrations and cartographic artwork included in your work.

and

8(c) "Excluding the Owner’s IP and Program IP which we license to you and excluding the illustrations and cartographic artwork in your Work, you are the sole owner of all rights in your Work. You have the rights or license to use the illustrations and cartographic artwork in your Work."

GX.Sigma · Mar 22, 2016

BMaC said:
It's a tricky one, and I'm no lawyer. I agree, SA is the issue. However, 2C exempts all artwork from the category of "User Generated Content." I figure that takes even CC-BY-SA out the loop. The relevant chunks of the DMs Guild contract or whatever are:

2(c) “User Generated Content” shall be defined as the copyrightable elements included in your Work, such as original characters, scenes, locations and events. User Generated content shall not include the illustrations and cartographic artwork included in your work.

and

8(c) "Excluding the Owner’s IP and Program IP which we license to you and excluding the illustrations and cartographic artwork in your Work, you are the sole owner of all rights in your Work. You have the rights or license to use the illustrations and cartographic artwork in your Work."

The SA license specifically requires any derivative works to use the same license (which allows anyone to distribute it, and is therefore incompatible with the DM's Guild license, which says only they can distribute it). It just doesn't work.

(also not a lawyer)

DMs Guild DMs Guild & Art work ?

Amatiel

Explorer

thorgrit

Explorer

Storyteller Hero

Adventurer

Sacrosanct

Legend

BMaC

Adventurer

Quickleaf

Legend

BMaC

Adventurer

Quickleaf

Legend

BMaC

Adventurer

GX.Sigma

Adventurer

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