Making fan games illegal?

I have an important question. I know selling fan games is against the law. What about making them with ripped sprites, and making them for fun?

No, it's not illegal.

Though, if you consider the entire process of ripping sprites and sounds, then yeah, it can be.

But don't worry, even if it was illegal, you wouldn't get caught.

Intellectual property.

Technically it is illegal, but too the point of a COD and that's it.

It's a practice that ranges from illegal to gray area in the fair use laws. While most companies officially state that their IP may not be used, they usually maintain a de facto policy of tolerance, as long as you aren't making significant waves.

Ripping copyrighted material is never legal.

"MFGG: Internet's Illegalness Hole"

Hey, that actually sounds great.

actually it IS illigal

Nobody cares though

not really only if you sell your fan games then its definitely illegal

it's illigal all the way

but nobody cares aslong as you don't make profit off their materials or characters.

It's illegal, but you won't get in trouble when you make fangames because it'd cost more to eliminate us than the "damage" we do.
Just don't sell them. (or try to reproduce original games 1:1)

Last I heard, a few companies (Capcom among them) have an official policy of allowing or even encouraging fan games, even those using ripped sprites and music.

But more to the point, even the companies that don't officially endorse fan gaming recognize there's no point in trying to prevent it unless somebody is making money from it.

It's illegal unless the Company allows it. Charles Martinet thinks it's cool that people love Mario enough to make Fangames of him. XD

Well, really it is illegal because you are using copyrighted characters, maybe music and other stuff owned by someone else. But as long you don't go around selling fangames, the company won't see you as a threat. They probably won't even see you unless you try making an exact clone of something.

My approach is doing what official games do -- the "legal screens" before the actual game begins. Because, in terms of the Mario fangames, I still have to acknowledge that we're using Mario game series materials, overall -- and that they're copyrighted/trademarked by Nintendo themselves. And I do mean all (which would include materials in relation to the Mario series, as well as participating characters for it).

That's pretty nice of them. Where did you read this? Which companies aside from Capcom does this include?

as eventually some people here know:

The ripping itself is illegal (its often enough said )
but:
(this is from a friend of me sending to him from nintendo)
As many people know in the NoE/NoA ripping or spriting
the Characters from our Games are stealing.
But this is great PR for our Company so we will accept
it, aslong nobody will made some profite with our
(our someone else Companies) Characters/ Music.

My friend was working on a fangame on newgrounds.com (eventually someone knows this site )
and ask nintendo via e-mail because of the copyrights.

Technically it's not him... it's mario :P

well, Nintendo wouldn't so succeed when Charles would there Maskot ;P

It probably is...
But as long as you're not making a profit, Nintendo or whatever company isn't going to shut you down. They wouldn't waste their time, unless you were stealing their money.

Last I heard, SEGA also does this.

Not particularly their best idea though, since most of their recent work seems to come from fanfiction writers and fan artists.