Is fan fiction in the form of videos on YouTube permitted?

[KoobTheProud]

I've been thinking about a DDO story that I'd like to tell. The story would be a series focused on a central character against the backdrop of a main DDO theme in the Forgotten Realms. I envision using the DDO client to play out various scenes and then editing them to make the storyline coherent. I have several episodes in mind at this point along a story arc that might stretch for most of the life of the protagonist. The content would be entirely safe for work and likely fit for 10+ with graphic violence being the only limiter.

The question is whether the content I produce would be legal to put up on YouTube?

There would likely be other editing involved aside from just splicing together segments from various quest environments. I would be doing voice-overs for the characters and likely adding a self-created score.

Obviously all of this represents a lot of work and before I go beyond the scripting I need to know that the content I produce would be legal for display on YouTube.

Any help would be appreciated.

[J1NG]

I'm fairly certain there's no issues from Youtube, I doubt SSG will give you any trouble either, as it's a fan work, and not theirs, so any trouble is squarely on your shoulders not theirs, whilst they get any and all free advertising from it.

No, the most likely source of trouble will be from any considered to be Copyrighted or Trademarked material that you (are seen/considered to have) use(d). So, as long as you stay away from that, you should be safe to go with producing this fan work.

Just make sure it's clearly labelled as Non-Official, or Fan Work.

J1NG

[Arkat]

Yeah, and don't try to monetize it, either.

SSG, WotC, etc. might want to take a cut.

[NightHiker]

Also, if you foresee any sort of financial compensation for your work I would pay much attention to the current discussion regarding the new OGL WotC wants to enforce on third parties, as you'd be using portions of their IP, before commiting significant resources into it.

If you do not intend to make any money out of it you'll probably be fine, though.

Cheers,
NH

[Captain_Wizbang]

Also, if you foresee any sort of financial compensation for your work I would pay much attention to the current discussion regarding the new OGL WotC wants to enforce on third parties, as you'd be using portions of their IP, before commiting significant resources into it.

If you do not intend to make any money out of it you'll probably be fine, though.

Cheers,
NH

https://www.cbr.com/dnd-open-gaming-...ct-ttrpg-wotc/

[Oxarhamar]

Yeah, and don't try to monetize it, either.

SSG, WotC, etc. might want to take a cut.

This is highly doubtful have anything to back up that claim?

[LightBear]

This is highly doubtful have anything to back up that claim?

Not following all the drama about ogl 1.1?

[Oxarhamar]

Not following all the drama about ogl 1.1?

I am thou I don’t really think that will apply to DDO

If it did then say goodbye to streamers

[J1NG]

This is highly doubtful have anything to back up that claim?

I think what they meant is, through Youtube, they (SSG, Wizards/Hasbro, etc) have every legal right to take over monetisation of your video if they make a Copyright claim over it. This has happened numerous times for uploaders on Youtube. (If your video is super popular, say 1Billion + views, even if you didn't monetise it, Hasbro may make an attempt on it. But if you didn't monetise it, Hasbro will look good and hard then at whether the PR disaster from that would be a good idea or not. Although lately that's not really a thing for them, so who knows?)

This is why I said it may be easier to move the setting of their fanfiction over to Eberron, since that's mostly a DDO (almost exclusive) setting. Forgotten Realms is more murky, especially with how Hasbro has been looking at things and how protective they are of the FR setting. Yes, visuals from inside DDO for Forgotten Realms is protected by being Licensed to DDO and thus Hasbro likely won't do anything and SSG wouldn't bat an eyelash. But as the example I gave, even something like mentioning Baldur's Gate or the pathways to there, might drop you into a grey zone that you won't be protected from such action from Wizards/Hasbro.

And if you're (the OP) OK with constantly checking everything all the time to make sure you don't fall foul of something, then by all means go for it. But there's limited FR stuff inside DDO for now too, which makes it hard to do a decent amount of content. So that's why I suggested the Eberron setting instead that can expand out into the MotU campaign and stuff around it.

Anyway, can't wait to see other players content.

J1NG

[axel15810]

I've been thinking about a DDO story that I'd like to tell. The story would be a series focused on a central character against the backdrop of a main DDO theme in the Forgotten Realms. I envision using the DDO client to play out various scenes and then editing them to make the storyline coherent. I have several episodes in mind at this point along a story arc that might stretch for most of the life of the protagonist. The content would be entirely safe for work and likely fit for 10+ with graphic violence being the only limiter.

The question is whether the content I produce would be legal to put up on YouTube?

There would likely be other editing involved aside from just splicing together segments from various quest environments. I would be doing voice-overs for the characters and likely adding a self-created score.

Obviously all of this represents a lot of work and before I go beyond the scripting I need to know that the content I produce would be legal for display on YouTube.

Any help would be appreciated.

As someone who has made similar DDO fan fiction videos it is totally fine to make this and to monetize it. In my experience SSG encourages people to make DDO content, they don't at all mind...quite the opposite actually. They want people to make DDO content on youtube. They don't mind you using game music or to my knowledge any other DDO game asset whether that is game footage, art, etc.

Also I've made hundreds of DDO videos using a wide variety of DDO game footage, music and other DDO game assets and I have never once had a video claimed, demonetized, etc. by any company.

[C-Dog]

As someone who has made similar DDO fan fiction videos it is totally fine to make this...

Confirmed.

Don't have the links, but I've seen several clever edits in one creative form or another, all good by the powers-that-be.

[J1NG]

I think for OP's ambition though, the danger is treading onto the Forgotten Realms portion. The DDO portion of Forgotten Realms probably would be fine as that's licensed work to DDO. And so referencing anything inside DDO that is related to Forgotten Realms should also be fine, even if you have the script just be about some adventurers who just arrived there (as per the DDO story of it - Battle of Eveningstar, Stormhorns, etc).

But if the fiction/script starts to go to anything unoffical from what is in DDO (Baldur's Gate for example, or traversing to Baldur's Gate), there might be issues from Hasbro/Wizards at that point. As they're really protective over that setting and since DDO doesn't have those areas you won't be covered by it being DDO material. If possible, I'd move the setting over to Eberron instead. Since you're more likely to have leeway with what and where your script can go in that setting. But that's just my view of it.

J1NG