Updated: 29 January 2020

GUIDELINES

These Guidelines cover the use of our Brands and our Assets. For these purposes, when we refer to:

• a “Name” what we mean is the name of any one of our games, taglines, features, events, or company identity, as well as any names which are confusingly similar to the names of any of our games, taglines, features, events, or company identity;
• our “Brands” what we mean is any Names and/or the related logos and distinctive characteristics of any of our Names and games;
• our “Assets” what we mean is the code, software, graphics, textures, images, models, sound and audio from any of our games and any videos or screenshots taken from or our games.

These Guidelines apply in addition to and not in place of our User Terms or Privacy Policy.

This means don’t:

• give copies of our games to anyone else;
• make commercial use of anything we’ve made (including our Names, Brands, and Assets);
• try to make money from anything we’ve made (including our Names, Brands, and Assets); or
• let other people get access to anything we’ve made in a way that is unfair or unreasonable;

unless we specifically agree to it or allow it.

These Guidelines do not change that principle but are intended to help people understand what we expect and want.

Please also check back here from time to time because we may update these guidelines and provide further guidance.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

The first thing to say is that there are Essential Requirements that apply to all use of our Names, Brands, and Assets. If you are using any part of any Name, any of our Brands and /or any of our Assets, then what you are doing MUST:

• NOT make people think that you or what you are doing is official; approved or endorsed by us; or associated or connected with us;
• NOT be unlawful, deceptive, obscene, harmful or disparaging;
• NOT take action that would harm or damage any of our Brands or any of our Assets;
• NOT include anything else around it that makes people think that you or what you are doing is official; approved or endorsed by us; or associated or connected with us;
• comply with the relevant User Terms; and
• sufficiently differentiate the use of any Name you are using from any other branding.

These are the “Essential Requirements”.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

NON-COMMERCIAL THINGS

We are very relaxed about things you create for yourself. Pretty much anything goes there – so go for it, have fun, and just don’t distribute anything we’ve made.

We are also quite relaxed about other non-commercial things so feel free to create and share videos, screen shots, independently created mods (that don’t use any of our Assets), fan art, machinima, etc.

However, if you want to use any Name in the title of a product that you distribute or service that you provide (even if it is for free) then you have to:

• follow the Essential Requirements;
• do so in a way that honestly and fairly describes those things or the purpose of them;
• ensure that the Name (which includes any confusingly similar name) is not the first word, doesn’t use any other aspect of any of our Brands or Assets as part of any related branding, including as or as part of any logo; and
• make it clear that the product is unofficial and not from Polytopia or approved by Polytopia.

This applies especially if you want to set up and run any non-commercial blogs, servers, community forums, fan sites, fan clubs, news groups, events and gatherings.

COMMERCIAL THINGS

We are less relaxed about commercial things. You may not use any Names in or as the main name or title of commercial things.

You may use a Name in a secondary name or title if you:

• do so because it is necessary to honestly and fairly describe those things or the purpose of them;
• follow the Essential Requirements;
• ensure that the secondary title (which includes a Name or any confusingly similar name) is not the dominant element or the distinctive part of the complete name or title; and
• don’t use any other aspect of any of our Brands or Assets as part of any related branding, including as or as part of any logo.

To help you we’ve suggested the following examples:

• Savage Wars: A Polytopia server for gaming ” (we’re cool with that).
• “Polytopia – the ultimate server for gaming” (we’re NOT cool with that)

You may not make any other commercial use of any of our Brands or Assets. For example, you may not sell any merchandise that uses any of our Brands or Assets and you definitely may not use our Names as keywords or search tags for products that have no relationship with them or that are infringing or counterfeit.

We love the idea of people doing cool things with our games and sharing those things with the community. That’s something we totally support and encourage. So please feel free to do so but please also make sure you don’t go too far. 

In addition to the specifics set out above, where we do allow you to do something you will always need to add a notice as follows:

• NOT AN OFFICIAL Polytopia PRODUCT. NOT APPROVED BY OR ASSOCIATED WITH MIDJIWAN.

VIDEOS AND SCREENSHOTS

You are allowed to put footage of our game on YouTube or any other website. In fact, we like you doing so.

So long as you stay within the Essential Requirements:

You may create, use and distribute videos of you playing or using our game for any lawful reason provided that you don’t make any money from them.

However, you may make money using your videos of our game by, for instance, through ad revenue, as long as you also add your own unique content to the video, such as audio commentary. The amount you add must also be enough to make it fair and worthwhile for someone to pay for it or for you to make money from it. For example you couldn’t just include your logo, web address or indent but you could add an audio commentary or your own music if you are creating a music video.

You may also make money using videos and screen-shots if it is covered by so called “fair dealing” or “fair use” exceptions to copyright, such as where it is for criticism and review, reporting current affairs etc. In each case, you will still need to add appropriate additional content and credits where applicable.

If something isn’t covered by these Guidelines and we haven’t otherwise said it’s okay, that probably means we don’t want you to do it. In any case if it isn’t covered please don’t do it without getting written permission from us. You can contact us at brands at midjiwan.com. If something is specifically covered and permitted by these Guidelines, our User Terms for any of our games then you don’t need to contact us.