Hello,

I would very much like to start a webpage with game reviews. I was thinking of the great VV games as well.

But now I am a little frightened about the legal side. I am in a country where it is very strict. And I noticed lots of games titles include a (tm).

Am I allowed to write reviews of games? I know I cannot steal official images or screenshots - of course I would make my own. Would I need to ask each game developer for permission, even when I put a link to their page in the games review?

Sorry for these dumb questions; but I'd love to show my love for the great VV games on a webpage. Hope you can help me with an answer!

Thank you

Those are not dumb questions, and it shows that you are aware of the rights of developers to their intellectual property and don't want to infringe on them. That's great!

However, we aren't able to offer any sort of legal advice here on the forums that would apply in all countries in all situations. However, in general, most game developers have some sort of legal notices page on their site (such as this one for LDW). Most game developers also tend to welcome the opportunity to appear on game review sites, and the best thing to do is ask them how they allow their copyrighted material to be used in game reviews. You will find that most are very receptive and accommodating, and most are easily contacted (look here for LDW's contact information).

You may always freely link to a developer's site. That's also a welcome thing, since it increases awareness and traffic to a developer's site.

Thank you for your answer and taking my questions seriously.
I did read the ldw legal notice and this is where another question comes up...If I only use my own screenshots but mention the game and company, since those are registered trademarks...do I have to add a legal notice saying all trademarks belong to their respective owners or something similar? I guess this is what I read somewhere.

Do you advice I'd better ask LDW through the contact info provided? I feared they would consider my questions kind of - dumb :-s But if you say this is the right way to go, I will write an email to LDW

I leave all of the legal stuff to Arthur and Carla, so it's best to write an email and ask your questions that way. Your inquiry won't be considered dumb. Plus, if you do that, they will know about your review site.

Be aware, though, that we are all very busy right now working on Virtual Families, so you might need to be patient.