Copyrights Question: Pokémon Blog

[callmekyle11]

Hey guys,

Lately I've been thinking about making a pokemon blog. To review new tcg products, and cards, post what I get from them, mainly just as a fun hobby to keep track of stuff, and have fun.

My question is, will making a public blog about this kind of thing get me busted for any kind of copyright law? I know literally nothing about them and dont want to end up getting sued for using pictures or pokemon or something like that.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[largellama123]

RE: Pokemon Blog Question

Hey guys,

Lately I've been thinking about making a pokemon blog. To review new tcg products, and cards, post what I get from them, mainly just as a fun hobby to keep track of stuff, and have fun.

My question is, will making a public blog about this kind of thing get me busted for any kind of copyright law? I know literally nothing about them and dont want to end up getting sued for using pictures or pokemon or something like that.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I'm not too sure about copyright laws either, but considering that people always upload gameplay of Pokemon on YouTube, you should be fine as long as you don't try to make money, I believe.

 

[AlexanderTheAwesome]

RE: Pokemon Blog Question

Hey guys,

Lately I've been thinking about making a pokemon blog. To review new tcg products, and cards, post what I get from them, mainly just as a fun hobby to keep track of stuff, and have fun.

My question is, will making a public blog about this kind of thing get me busted for any kind of copyright law? I know literally nothing about them and dont want to end up getting sued for using pictures or pokemon or something like that.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I'm not too sure about copyright laws either, but considering that people always upload gameplay of Pokemon on YouTube, you should be fine as long as you don't try to make money, I believe.

I hope you're kidding
Everyone hates YT right now because tons of gameplay vids have been taken Down
Look at ('Not) Blame Truth for example

It's just a matter of who randomly got selected

 

[Chaos Jackal]

RE: Pokemon Blog Question

Moved to Misc., as this is a question about copyright laws that can apply to any kind of blog/site etc. and not just Pokemon.

 

[Delta]

I hope you're kidding
Everyone hates YT right now because tons of gameplay vids have been taken Down
Look at ('Not) Blame Truth for example

It's just a matter of who randomly got selected

Wrongly taken down. The automated system just looks for music and video that matches official content and assumes it's stolen whereas, I believe, anyone is allowed to use clips and samples for review purposes. Although smaller channels are suspiciously feeling the brunt of this it has to be said.

I'm pretty sure it's the Fair Use Act (or is that coffee and chocolate? idk) if you want to look over it yourself. You should be fine though, OP. Even in the unlikely event you do get approached you'll probably only be asked to take certain pictures and or videos down.

 

[Mistryss Nite]

I believe that you would need to get permission first. Perhaps contact the legal or copyright office (maybe even PR) at Pokemon (if they have one)? And, make sure to get sent a signed letter that okays you to make a blog using their material. And, make sure you know exactly what material you can use for your site.

(When I was in broadcasting in school, we had to contact record labels in order to use songs for more than 30 or so seconds. We even had to get a signed note by the company. Otherwise, they could sue us.)

Now, there are indeed blogs all over the interent that do not get permission from the copyright owners. But, they are susceptible to being sued, if the owners desire to sue (not all do, but they have the right to do so). This can be quite costly. Even if you are using your own pictures, you would still need clearance by the owners of Pokemon.

 

[Carpey]

As long as you're not trying to make money off of Pokemon's stuff, you should be good.

Now, getting permission is probably going to be tough. I've been on the Pokemon website's help forum and in the FAQ section for "Can I use Pokemon Images or Materials?" it says, "Unfortunately we're not in a position to review requests to use the Pokémon intellectual property (including its characters, names, and designs). As a result, we have to ask that you not use it in or associate it with your project in any way."