Legal, copyright and content rules
Who owns what, what you allow KoolGames to do, and the rules every game must follow.
This is a draft and it's written to be read easily. The Developer Terms are the official agreement, and they apply if anything here differs. It isn't legal advice, so ask a solicitor if you're unsure about your own game.
Anything in [square brackets] is still to be decided. There's a list at the end of this page.
Ownership and licensing
You keep ownership of your game. Submitting it doesn't transfer your copyright or any other intellectual property to KoolGames.
Before you submit, you must either own every part of the game or hold a licence that lets you publish it on a website like ours. That covers code, engines and plugins, art, animation, music, sound effects, voices, fonts and any text.
The rights you give KoolGames
While your game is on KoolGames, you give us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free permission to:
- host and serve the game to players;
- make technical copies needed to run it, such as cached files;
- show its name, cover image, trailer, description and developer name on the site;
- use those materials to promote the game and KoolGames;
- show adverts around the game, as set out in the Developer Terms.
The permission ends when the game is removed, apart from [how long we may keep backups and existing promotional material].
You can publish your game anywhere else as well.
Third-party assets and licences
You can use assets made by others if the licence allows commercial use in a published game. You must:
- keep a record of each asset, where it came from and its licence;
- follow any credit requirement, for example on your game's credits screen;
- check that open-source licences suit how you distribute the game;
- send us that record if we ask for it.
A game can't be mainly an unchanged asset pack or template. "Free to download" doesn't mean free to use, so read each licence.
If you use AI tools, you're still responsible for the result. Check the tool's terms and make sure the output doesn't copy someone else's work.
Copyright and trademarks
The following aren't allowed:
- 1:1 clones, or games that copy another game's look, levels, characters or story;
- characters, logos, names or music from films, TV, games, sports or brands you don't have permission to use;
- titles or icons designed to be mistaken for another product;
- real people's names or likenesses without their permission.
Game ideas and genres are open to everyone. Making another match-three or platformer is fine, as long as what you make is your own.
Music and sound
Being able to find a track online doesn't give you the right to use it. Commercial music needs a licence that covers games on the web, and many streaming or social media licences don't. Keep proof of every licence, including for sound effects and voice recordings.
Content suitable for minors
Many players are children, so every game must suit a general audience. A game can't contain sexual content, graphic violence, hate or harassment, real-money gambling, or encouragement of illegal or dangerous behaviour. Promotion of alcohol, tobacco or drugs isn't allowed either. See the Community and Content Guidelines for the full list. Our minimum age for accounts is 13.
Privacy rules for games
Games on KoolGames should collect as little data as possible, and ideally none.
A game must not, without a clear legal basis and any consent the law requires:
- ask for names, email addresses, phone numbers, locations or photos;
- set tracking cookies or include third-party analytics or adverts;
- share data with anyone else.
A game must never knowingly collect personal data from children without following UK GDPR and the ICO's Children's Code. Multiplayer games must protect players from contact with strangers, for example with filtered text or preset messages. Game progress saved through the KoolGames SDK is fine.
Takedown process
If you believe a game on KoolGames infringes your rights, email [Copyright notices email] with:
- your name and contact details;
- the work you own, and proof where possible;
- the address of the game on KoolGames;
- a statement that you believe in good faith the use isn't authorised, and that your notice is accurate.
We'll review the notice and may remove the game while we do. We aim to respond within [number of working days]. We'll tell the developer and, where the law allows, share the complaint. A developer who believes a notice is wrong can reply with their explanation and any evidence to the same address.
Removal of games
You can ask us to remove your game at any time, and the Developer Terms set out how long that takes. We can remove or disable a game immediately if it breaks these rules, receives a valid legal complaint, stops working, puts players at risk or if the law requires it.
If the rules are broken
Depending on how serious it is, we may:
- ask you to fix the problem by a set date;
- reject an update, or remove the game;
- withhold revenue connected to the breach, as the Developer Terms allow;
- close your developer account and refuse future submissions;
- report illegal content to the authorities.
You're responsible for claims caused by material you submitted, as set out in the Developer Terms.
Still to be decided
These [placeholders] on this page need the site owner's decision:
- [how long we may keep backups and existing promotional material]
- [number of working days]
These come from the site's legal settings and also need filling in, if they still show in square brackets above:
- the copyright notices email
- the minimum account age