With Extra Life coming up and copyright robots running wild, I thought I’d put together a list of links to the rules governing the streaming of different games. I’m not a lawyer, so none of this constitutes legal advice – but as I read the law and recent rulings, game streaming is illegal unless rights are specifically granted. Additionally, automated enforcement of copyright has gotten aggressive to the point of abuse, jeopardizing even the most legal streams.
With that in mind, here are the rules for streaming some popular games. There’s obviously way more than I have listed here – these are just the ones I thought of. If something isn’t listed, please post it in the comments, or email videograndpa at gmail so I can add it.
And as always, do your own research before doing something that might get you in trouble.
Microsoft
Full Policy: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/developer/rules
Games Covered:
- Halo
- Forza Motorsport
- Fable
- Kinectimals
- Kinect Adventures
- Kinect Joy Ride
- Age of Empires
- Flight Simulator
- Kameo
- Perfect Dark Zero
- Project Gotham Racing
- Shadowrun
- Viva Piñata
Sony Online Entertainment
**Full Policy: **https://www.soe.com/player-direct
Games Covered:
- EverQuest
- Planetside 2
- DC Universe Online
- Dragon’s Prophet
- Payday
- and more
Sony Computer Entertainment
**Full Policy: **I can’t find a single bit of policy from SCEA, formally published or otherwise.
Games Covered:
- Beyond: Two Souls
- Infamous
- Uncharted
- Ratchet & Clank
- The Last of Us
- Resistance
- Tokyo Jungle
- and more
Nintendo
**Full Policy: **As far as I know, Nintendo does not have an official published policy specifically covering community-created videos. They do, however, have a pretty stompy history regarding such content. Their general IP policy also uses the phrase “terminate at our sole discretion” more than once. Tread lightly.
Games Covered:
- Mario
- Zelda
- Metroid
- Craploads more
- Don’t forget all the retro stuff (NES/SNES/N64/etc)
Activision
**Full Policy: **I can’t find any official policy for either Activision in general or Call of Duty specifically. But since some initial copyright enforcement blunders, it seems like they’re backing off, even building streaming into Black Ops II. However, a sanctioned COD tournament was taken down just yesterday, so who knows.
Games Covered:
- Call of Duty
- Angry Birds
- Destiny
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- and more
Electronic Arts
**Full Policy: **Same as Activision: I can’t find any official published policy. But it looks like, if you don’t receive explicit permission from them, you’re running the risk of a takedown or ad placement.
Games Covered:
- Battlefield
- Command & Conquer
- The Sims
- Mirror’s Edge
- Need for Speed
- and more
Riot Games
**Full Policy: **http://www.riotgames.com/legal-jibber-jabber
**Games Covered: **
- League of Legends
Blizzard
**Full Policy: **http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/legal/videopolicy.html
Games Covered:
- Diablo
- Starcraft
- World of Warcraft
Valve
**Full Policy: **http://www.valvesoftware.com/videopolicy.html
Games Covered:
- Half-Life
- Dota
- Portal
- Left 4 Dead
- Team Fortress
- Counter-Strike
- Day of Defeat
Ubisoft
**Full Policy: **http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php/773563-Ubisoft-policy-on-YouTube-videos-Forums
Games Covered:
- Assassin’s Creed
- Splinter Cell
- Watch_Dogs
- The Division
- Just Dance
- Rayman
- Far Cry
- and way more
Mojang
Full Policy: https://account.mojang.com/terms
Games Covered:
- Minecraft
Double Fine
**Full Policy: **http://www.doublefine.com/about/ (scroll down, it’s in the FAQ)
Games Covered:
- Psychonauts
- Happy Action Theater
- Costume Quest
- Stacking
- Brutal Legend
- The Cave
- and more
Epic Games
**Full Policy: **http://epicgames.com/about/fan-art-policy/
Games Covered:
- Gears of War
- Infinity Blade
- Fortnite
Capcom
**Full Policy: (Best I could find) **http://www.capcom-unity.com/ask_capcom/go/thread/view/7371/29133541/ask-capcom-faq—release-dates-ip-statuses-events-more&post_num=2#519974985
Games Covered:
- Monster Hunter
- Mega Man
- Street Fighter
- Remember Me
- Lost Planet
- Resident Evil
- and more