Yeah, there are certainly two sides to this I think.
On the one hand, using anyone's IP without permission breaches regulation, and doing so for commercial gain invites repercussions from the IP owner.
That said, the producer of these manuals isn't passing off by pretending to be Nintendo, nor are they taking revenue from Nintendo, as Nintendo does not offer these manuals either included with a game or separately, nor as I see it are they devaluing the brand as it looks to be a quality creation.
In my view a fair reading is it is a fan contribution to the community, with the producer covering time and materials costs of production - yes we could argue all day about what is a reasonable amount to cover costs but £11 doesn't seem ridiculous to me once you take the Etsy fee and other costs. I guess the producer might still acknowledge Nintendo's copyright without having express permission to reproduce it - maybe they do.
Personally, I regret the loss of manuals. I found it a nice part of the experience. I'm old enough to remember boxed PC games with big manuals, sometimes in the form of a novella (like the X-Wing series), really added to the experience and the immersion.
So my view is more power to these producers for creating something, with care, that the games companies will not. Whether that's worth £11 to someone is their choice.
Comments 1
Re: Random: Someone Made A Manual For Super Mario 3D All-Stars To "Complete The Physical Set"
Yeah, there are certainly two sides to this I think.
On the one hand, using anyone's IP without permission breaches regulation, and doing so for commercial gain invites repercussions from the IP owner.
That said, the producer of these manuals isn't passing off by pretending to be Nintendo, nor are they taking revenue from Nintendo, as Nintendo does not offer these manuals either included with a game or separately, nor as I see it are they devaluing the brand as it looks to be a quality creation.
In my view a fair reading is it is a fan contribution to the community, with the producer covering time and materials costs of production - yes we could argue all day about what is a reasonable amount to cover costs but £11 doesn't seem ridiculous to me once you take the Etsy fee and other costs. I guess the producer might still acknowledge Nintendo's copyright without having express permission to reproduce it - maybe they do.
Personally, I regret the loss of manuals. I found it a nice part of the experience. I'm old enough to remember boxed PC games with big manuals, sometimes in the form of a novella (like the X-Wing series), really added to the experience and the immersion.
So my view is more power to these producers for creating something, with care, that the games companies will not. Whether that's worth £11 to someone is their choice.