LittleBigCopyright: Distribution rights for your own content explained

Distribution rights aren’t just for publishers and record labels. Now you too can enjoy all the fun of intellectual property protection with LittleBigPlanet‘s “copyright” system. Media Molecule’s Alex Evans has been talking about how players can “own” their in-game creations and make sure it only gets into the hands of their choosing. It’s almost like you get to be Viacom!

We have a very simple system that we call “copyright” in the game, which isn’t copyright in the legal sense. You can basically dictate the distribution rights on any object you create.

If you put something in your level as a collectible item, people can collect it. People can control who comes into the level, both by how hard it is and by giving away keys, but you can also choose whether to copyright that object.

If you collect one of these copyright items, you’ll be able to use it in your own levels, but you won’t be able to share it with anybody else. By the same token, should somebody choose not to copyright their items, such items will be able to freely spread throughout LittleBigPlanet‘s network. 

This is great news for control freaks and any Electronic Arts executives who feel like making their work day more fun.