Fan Content Policy

Fan created content is the lifeblood of the nerd community, and unfortunately in a capitalist society there are some who if given the opportunity will ruin it for everyone else in the name of profit. Because of this we have created a set of guidelines on how fan art can be used, so you know what the limits are.

What Is Fan Content?

Fan content is anything, made by those outside of the company, using Trapped Chest’s intellectual property that is not officially licensed. This can mean paintings of our characters, songs about our worlds or even movies, just to name a few things.

If you didn’t sign a contract, it is fan content.

Guidelines

Free For Everyone

Any fan content must be made free for everyone, regardless of who they are, what they look like, what they believe or who they support. This means you can not charge for the fan content and may never lock it behind a wall, such as, but not limited to password protected files or an invite only Discord server and can not deny someone access simply because you don’t like their politics or how ugly their face is. Ideally, you will have no idea who is downloading the content.

Not Official

It must be made clear that your fan content is not official content and is not endorsed by Trapped Chest.

No Real World Politics

Trapped Chest has a strict policy of not including real world politics in our products and not engaging with politics outside of those that have an impact on us or directly relate to company policy, and even then our political involvement is limited.

This “No Politics” policy extends to the fans who wish to create content. Our intellectual property is never to be used as a soapbox to push a political agenda, as it will be seen as damaging to Trapped Chest, no matter which side it is on.

Using the cannon politics of our fictional worlds in your work, such as creating zekari propaganda posters portraying the valgrin as blood thirsty monsters is acceptable, as it fits the universe and is not real world.

Adult Content

We realize that the internet is extremely horny, and that tends to make it’s way into fan content. Violence and sexy characters are acceptable, so long as they fit within the lore and are done with a reasonable amount of common sense. Revealing clothing is fine if it makes sense for the character, but don’t turn our characters into porn stars. Also, underage characters are completely off limits for obvious reasons and if the game is designed for a young audience, keep it clean.

Don’t Pick Fights

If you are making fan content, we expect you to act in a professional manner. Even though you are not employed by us, your actions may still draw negative attention to us.

We do not want to be associated with activism, extremism or outrage. If you make a habit of getting involved in public arguments or pushing your political opinions on others, then you have the potential to damage our image and we ask you to refrain creating fan content based on Trapped Chest intellectual property

Non-Commercial

Fan content can not be sold, offered in exchange for any kind of compensation or be linked to a company or commercial activity without permission from us.

If you wish to sell fan content, such as selling prints at a convention, it becomes commercial and you will need to contact us by e-mail at admin @ trappedchest.com and request permission, which will likely include a contract and royalties.

It should also be noted that if your fan project requires crowdfunding, we consider that big enough to be classified as commercial, and you will need to contact us for permission before any campaign is started to get permission.

Additionally, fan content may not be distributed through online platforms that require an account to access downloads, such as, but not limited to Apple Store, Google Play, DriveThruRPG or Steam, unless it is also available from a source that does not require an account to access downloads, such as Itch.io or a personal website.

Passive Income

Small amounts of passive income, such as YouTube ads, sponsorships or donations are generally allowed, so long as they do not gate content behind a paywall, and those involved (advertisers & sponsors) do not violate our policies.

If your passive income is enough to replace a full time job, that may raise eyebrows and at that point you may need a license contract, in which case you can contact us at admin @ trappedchest.com.

Use Of Logos And Vectors

We have specific “Fan Content” logos that you are able to use and if we have a vector files (such as SVG or EPS), such as a character sheets available for download on the website, those are intended to be altered by the fan community for fan projects or just for better usability by our customers.

And Another Thing!

Trapped Chest makes the sole decision on what is allowed on a case by case basis. Most of the time we support fan projects and in some cases, may even want to sponsor them, but if we decide that your project is damaging to our company, we will tell you to stop, and you will be legally required to stop.

If you are selling a single original painting at a convention, it’s not worth our time to go after you, but some conventions have begun to realize that if fan art is sold on site, the convention can be held liable and have restricted or even banned fan art. If you are interested in selling art based on Trapped Chest intellectual property, we are open to the idea of licenses which would give you documentation to show convention organizers.

Legal Stuff

The legal stuff sucks, but it is called covering our own asses, so it would be foolish to not have it here.

By making fan content based on one of our intellectual properties you agree to the following terms and conditions.

You grant Trapped Chest an irrevocable license to commercially display, advertise, promote, copy and distribute any content that you have created which uses Trapped Chest intellectual property without permission or payments.

You agree that you will not bring any claims against Trapped Chest for any use of your fan content.

Trapped Chest has the right to restrict and stop any use of it’s intellectual property for any reason or without reason at any time, at which time you must immediately cease or restrict the use of our intellectual property in accordance with our communications and take down all fan content.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your fan content is not violating any laws or rights of any third party.

You are responsible for any legal action taken against you in relation to fan content using Trapped Chest intellectual property.

You are responsible for any and all claims, settlements, fees, and other expenses related to legal action against you and acknowledge that Trapped Chest will not be held liable and has no responsibility to become involved in an legal action taken against you.

Trapped Chest may alter terms of this agreement at any time, without notice, though we will attempt inform the public through standard communication channels.