In an official post on the Final Fantasy XIV community site Lodestone, Square Enix recently announced updates to the content licensing, which governs how fans can use game content.
The rules now allow fans to create non-commercial physical merchandise under certain conditions, which was previously prohibited. It is worth noting that the new requirements also explicitly prohibit the use of derivative works created by artificial intelligence or 3D printing to produce physical items.
Under the new terms, physical products made by fans using copyrighted “FFXIV” material must be made by the creator himself. Other restrictions were also introduced: for example, a link (or QR code) to the text of the new rules had to be placed on the product itself (instead of a simple copyright indication). Additionally, fan art must be distributed free of charge, as the rules strictly prohibit any sale or commercial use of the game’s intellectual property.
It’s important to note that there are exceptions for certain types of physical products (i.e. business cards and stickers). While the rules prohibit ordering printed materials from companies or shops, the rules are relaxed for both categories of goods, subject to certain conditions. The business card must contain information about your game character, server name, and/or nickname. As for stickers, printing is only allowed if the design is based on illustrations or screenshots of the player’s own character.
The new rules also specifically prohibit the creation of images that imitate existing official FFXIV merchandise; one example given is “creating items with the impression of official products or promotional materials.”
The calling card exception may be of particular interest to FFXIV fans who trade characters or community cards at live events, although Square Enix has not stated that this is the reason for introducing the exception.
