So, i want to make a Rhythm Game, it's a game for a friend of mine, it's free and just to study... but i have a problem, it uses copyright musics (rock), i want to know if i can use covers or something like that to have less problem?
I know that i cannot use the songs and i think covers are not a good idea too, i just want to confirm this. My original idea it's to release here, but if i can't, there's no problem.
Thanks.
Generally copyright is up to the copyright holder to determine the rules about how things are enforced. I think that if you're using covers and aren't selling your work, then it's unlikely that the copyright holder will go after you for infringement. But they still can, so no guarantees. The precedent I'm looking at is something like Soundcloud or YouTube where I know many people upload covers of songs with no issues. Sorry I can't give you a more concrete answer, but copyright can be vague in a lot of scenarios.
Should you get a copyright claim, we'll work with you to get your page in the clear. We don't use a "three strikes" system like other platforms, we don't ban people if they get N infringements. But, if we see people intentionally abusing copyright then we may step in with an admin action on their account.
IANAL, so take this with a grain of salt. Cover songs are always legal to create and belong to their authors, no matter how famous the original. If you use such a cover in one of your games, it's the cover's author you have to deal with. That said, cover authors must pay royalties to the original's copyright holder. (It's the other side of the coin.) If they license the cover in turn to someone else, it might complicate matters. So check the terms, if any, and if in doubt contact the cover's author!
