copyright status

Prince of Persia related subjects that do not have their own boards.
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Norbert
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copyright status

Post by Norbert »

Someone asked me via email about the copyright status of PoP1. What I answered:
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The original Prince of Persia game (1989 Apple II, 1990 DOS) is not freeware. Maybe its demo package (2 levels only) was. Even as freeware, the demo package is proprietary software, which means no freedom to modify/share modifications, create remakes, etc. However, our modding community considers the original game abandonware. This means the copyright is still in place, but the owner does not enforce related rights, because the game (currently) has no commercial value. If I'm not mistaken, Ubisoft has exclusive rights to create new entries in the franchise, but Jordan Mechner still has copyright of Prince of Persia otherwise. He has published the source code of the original Apple II game. And he has frequently publicly shown his approval of remakes and remasters. I'm not in a position to give you the go-ahead when it comes to creating a remake in Unreal, but my assessment is that it's unlikely you'll get in trouble doing so. For more information about abandonware, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandonware
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atrueprincefanfrom18
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Re: copyright status

Post by atrueprincefanfrom18 »

Good to see these questions and your amazing responses :)

P.S: What happened to your profile pic Norbert?!
Love to create new MODS :)

My complete list of mods until now!

My channel. Do consider subscribing it! :)
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Norbert
The Prince of Persia
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Re: copyright status

Post by Norbert »

atrueprincefanfrom18 wrote: March 5th, 2022, 6:23 pmP.S: What happened to your profile pic Norbert?!
I was bored of my old one. I've been wanting to switch to a crispier (sharper) image for a while now. This one feels more modern to me, yet still a nod to the low resolution era.
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