I'll take some Contents from old and new games and use them for a privat homepage. It's not-commercial and absolutly free! Is this legally, when I mark it as Fanware? With what conditions is it legally?

This questions is monterous cause this is one of the most complicated topic telephone system software engineering. :omg2:
Maybe you look for the ESA-related topics and announcements. :ok:

Maybe tell us what exactly you want to take and how to use it.
There is no such term as "fanware".
Depends on what do you intend to do with that content.

The best thing is to put in the home page a text like: This site must be considered a "fan site" and in no way affiliated to **game company names**.

To be sure you should contact the game company to have their permission.

However, I don't think they'll be very worryed aboute a little personal site...

NO. It's not legal to distrubute someone else's work without permission. It doesn't matter if you make any profit from it or not.

Thank you for your suplys! I want to take some content from the LucasArts adventures. Okay, okay... I want to take the hole story. Is it enough? :whistling:

So, I want to write a letter to LucasArts. Maybe I have some luck and they allow me to use the story, from the older games... But maybe not... Whatever!

I think velik_m is right! rights are by Ron Gilbert or LucasArts, I don't know. From the terms it is not allowed to make a product based on the software. Now, this will be a product... No more details. Sorry!

*has a sneaking suspicion that the question is relating to fan-fiction*

I s'pose the best word for that is "tolerated."

Chances are you'll get a lot of flak for plagiarism, if you do that.

Not if you don't ask money for the given product.

Sorry for maybe disappointing you... :tomato:

Velik is definitely right. It's not legal do distribute somebody else's work without permission, no matter if it is commercial or not. It could be even criminal!

As far as designs (design- samples, hope the translation is correct) and trademarks are concerned the protection stretches also on designs, which are similar. Those protections have to be registered at the administrations. I am sure that ILM has registered any Star- Wars- looking design in any possible category.

Yoghurt: The greatest power in the universe.
Barf: The Force?
Yoghurt: No, the Schwartz - mercandizing...

In addition to that: It could be also illegal to invent a fiction, based on somebody elses work, and produce an own work with it, even If it's not plagiative (depends from your homecountry)!

I remember there were a few fan- made Star Wars movies, dealing with minor items, which were not described but mentioned in the books or in any other movie. The producers had the permission from ILM, but they were not allowed to show any profit.

Requesting the permission seems to be a good way.