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4 Legal Tips for Buying HTML5 Games License

Jun 20 2022

What’re the most critical legal tips for buying HTML5 games?
What points should we note when we’re going to buy an HTML5 game license? How should I ensure the provider’s credentials?
What points should I pay attention to in the content of the game license?
Is a game with proper technical features a good option for purchase?
All these questions come to your mind after encountering a good game that you intend to buy its license. However, understanding the legal issues surrounding HTML5 games is one of the most important steps in purchasing and preparing HTML5 games for your portal, as it can prevent significant financial, legal, and reputational damage.

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Importance of Legal Tips for Buying HTML5 Games License

All these questions come to your mind after encountering a good game that you intend to buy its license. You may think that just having attractive gameplay or graphic is enough to buy a game license. However, many factors can have an effect on the type and usage rate of that game.

You should pay attention to some points and tips before purchasing, which may be irreversible after completing the purchase. Note that ignoring some points, such as copyright, the right to use, the provider’s credentials, and so on, may be detrimental to your business.

In this article, you will learn what to notice when buying an HTML5 game license to make the maximum profit for your own business.

Technical and Quality Features of the Game

Before reading the list of legal tips for buying an HTML5 games license, as an online game portal or P2E platform manager, firstly, you should obtain a lot of information about the technical and quality features of an HTML5 game to match the game with your audience. Without this knowledge, even the best seller with the highest level of service may present you with a game that highly differs from your audience’s taste.

The technical and quality features of a game include many items such as making games technology, the running speed, game size, graphics, gameplay, and many other items. All these items give your users a pleasurable experience of playing your game.

To obtain further information, it is suggested to read the article about the features of profitable games for my portal in DoonDookStudio’s blog.

The Provider’s Credentials

After the technical and quality confirmation of the game, it is the right time to confirm legal tips for buying an HTML5 games license. Regardless of how the game is of high quality and matches your users’ tastes, as a brand, you don’t like to receive your portal from an invalid seller who is not known how long to be accountable.

Unseen Technical Qualitative Features

In the first part of the introduction, we mentioned that we are supposed to pay attention to the technical and quality features of the game when buying it. However, all these features are important before buying the game, and you are able to recognize how the game’s code structures are logical and scalable.

This can be very important for your technical team because, certainly, it will be more compatible with a stronger coding structure in future updates and the creation of plugins or new games SDK.

Only by purchasing from reputable HTML5 game providers may you be greatly relieved.

How to Recognize Reputable HTML5 Game Providers

Unfortunately, there are a limited number of active HTML5 game providers, barely 20. However, the low number of providers makes your choice easier. With a quick search in the specialized HTML5 games forums like HTML5 Game Devs, reading the best HTML5 game providers article, or getting a free consultant by our experts, you may obtain good information about the providers.

License

As the second role of legal tips for buying HTML5 games, you should read the license carefully. The license of every provider will tell about your authority in using the purchased item. It also tells what you will receive exactly after the purchase.

You may think of a high-quality game, but after reading the provider’s license, you may conclude that you cannot use the game to accomplish your goals. For example, a license may disallow you from placing the game in several domains or apps or remove the original developer’s name.

The Right to Use

The most important point in the HTML5 game license is the level and the power of the right to use the game. It will tell you where and how you may take advantage of the game or place it in some of your own products.

For example, DoonDookStudio’s License is limited to be used in 1 domain/app, and you may not use the purchased game in more domains and apps. For sure, you should pay more to use the game in more domains and apps.

Content of the Delivered File

Another important point in the license text is the content of the submitted file on behalf of the provider after purchasing the game. Simply speaking, you receive something in return for the payment.

Usually, the providers of HTML5 games give you the game executable file, the raw file, and the game’s assets. However, there may be exceptional cases:

For example, the Marketjs license does not include the game’s code. This may be important for those who want to rectify or promote the code and implement the SDK in the game.

Support

The provider’s support is the last important point to know about the license. Some providers don’t give you any guarantee for the game’s problems and sell their products in the so-called AS-IS way. Notice the provider’s support and its time when purchasing an HTML5 game. Otherwise, if you decide to buy the game without support, certainly test the whole game before completing the payment.

Support Conditions

When buying the game’s license, please notice the cases that take the product out of support. Almost all providers cancel the game support in the case of extended changes in codes.

In this special case, you are suggested to contact the provider about the necessity of extended changes and consult him on how to carry out the changes or support cancelling. A better solution is to order the changes so that while maintaining the quality of the game, your license will not be out of support conditions.

Extended Support

Some providers extend their support at a certain price. If long-term support is important to you, note that the provider provides you with extended support.

Copyright

Observing the whole copyright is an undeniable principle in the game industry. The providers who don’t commit themselves to this principle will bring various problems for their customers.

For example, you may buy a game from an invalid seller without knowing that one of the popular Disney cartoon characters has been used in the game. After placing the game on your platform, you may receive a complaint on behalf of Disney company demanding compensation. Regarding the strict rules of copyrighting, the compensation amount may be much more than the profit you have made.

To prevent such occurrences, you are suggested to go to valid HTML5 game providers and pay a lot of attention to components with the highest number of copyright infringements, like characters and the games’ names.

The Provider’s Services

All providers of HTML5 games present services that will help you in different uses of the game. As an online game portal/P2E platform manager, you don’t have a lot of time to add your own SDK or enough budget to recruit somebody for it. That would be very great if the game seller carries out the necessary preparations to place the game on your desired platform.

Almost all reputable HTML5 game providers represent the services you need . To order the special cases not included in their services, you may contact them and talk about your needs.

Your Future Goals for the Game

You may not put importance on the services presented by the provider, think just buying a game is enough, and you don’t need to notify the provider’s services. However, you should always think about the future and have a plan for it.

In the near future, you may decide to use the games in your own special app or use items like reskinning, white labelling, adding a leaderboard, and Facebook API. Nobody can predict the future, but you can prepare yourself for it by purchasing from a reputable seller who presents a wide range of services.

List of Actions on Legal Tips for Buying HTML5 Games License

You are suggested to notice the following items before completing the payment to recognize the game features, its impact on your business, and the unpredicted results.

By checking all the items on the list, you’ll consider all the legal tips for buying HTML5 games.

The Game

1. Make sure the game is suitable for your audience.
2. Compare the quality level of your game with new games.
3. Play the game a lot to recognize the bugs and problematic cases.
4. Compare the game’s price with similar games.

The Provider’s Credentials

5. Ensure the provider’s credentials by searching Google, LinkedIn, and the provider’s website.
6. Check the specialized forums of HTML5 games to ensure there are no serious complaints from the provider.
7. If needed, you may ask your questions in these forums and propose your challenges clearly.
8. Make sure the provider is active. Usually, the active providers release one to three games a month. They update their website and publish posts and comments on social networks.

The License Content

9. Ensure the number of permitted domains/apps for the game release is based on your needs. You may talk to the provider to increase this number.
10. Ensure the scope of the game’s right to use and your needs. You may talk with the provider to enhance your authority on the game.

Support

11. How long is the provider’s support? If you need more support, talk to the provider to increase the time.
12. Ensure your needs and the cases that include the provider’s support. If possible, talk with the provider about more extended support.

Extra Services

13. List the provider’s services, as well as your present and future needs to make sure the provider presents your desired services.
14. Study the provider’s services that you didn’t know before and think of their applications in your own work.

Observe Copyright Laws

15. Make sure that the provider complies with copyright laws by researching specialized HTML5 game forums and paying attention to game components such as name and character.

Conclusion

When choosing HTML5 games for the portal, there are many important and minor considerations. You may jeopardize your company’s future if you do not adhere to these pieces of advice.

As the manager of a game provider for a portal, you are responsible for legal issues and the right to use each game to its full potential. And also the quality of the game itself.

In this article, we understand the importance of legal tips for buying an HTML5 games license. As well as we learned that only by noticing to technical features of a game we could not make an accomplishment and make a profit.

We got acquainted with important points before buying an HTML5 game license, and we recognized that ignoring the license, the provider’s credentials, and observing the copyright laws can be very detrimental to a business.

Also, a list of the items to be noticed before purchasing an HTML5 game license was presented in the last part. We hope you purchase very profitable games for your online P2E or game portal.