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So in other words, short version, Cryptic "owns" every single character name on *every* single server now created by players?
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Yes.
And we all knew this when we created our characters in their game.
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See if this is true, marvel and DC would have won their lawsuit against NCsoft like a year ago. Because of player name use within their game that might have been using comic concepts and names related to their intellectual property.
What is not illegal you ask? Printing your comic book character on anything is not illegal. I would also argue the fact that the character we create be our own, because we are paying 15 dollars a month to create and play and with that we arn't working for NCsoft/cryptic, and while the items and costumes could be assumed theirs, the core concept of the character will always be the players. Asking a company to print the character is not illegal (as long as its not for sale, and even then if a couple of things were different then the one you made you could get away with it).
You see NCsoft/cryptic pride themselves on their intellectual and creative property. Players characters should be their own to express, create and enjoy.
So if you plan on making any replica either keep it 1) small so not to gain attention of anyone big on your back 2) change some key aspects so that it is different from the one you created in game.
I believe in creative freedom for profit or for fun, as long as you didnt "steal" (which is basically what we are talking about, but we arent suggestion taking for example statesman and sellin it around) the concept from someone (IE statesman, manticore or DC and Marvel comics) you have the freedom to invent and be brilliant.
Nothing should get in the way of that. And if NCsoft and cryptic are a "good company of men" and women they would understand this as well, because we know how stiffled and restricted people are today, be it by government or your own peers, people should be allowed to creative with no boundries except the ones the govern our souls (IE murder and things of that nature).
