Intellectual Property Guidelines
Warhammer: Beyond the tabletop
Games Workshop has been designing and selling miniatures and games for over 40 years. Our design studios have worked hard to create the unique settings and characters that are enjoyed by our fans all over the world.
We love to see fans enjoying all things Warhammer. We also have a duty to preserve and protect our intellectual property rights – this is the only way we can ensure that Warhammer will be around forever. Our goal is to do this while continuing to support the passion and creativity of our fans. We will level with you – this is a difficult balancing act.
So, whatever exciting Warhammer hobby activities you are working on, we ask that you follow the below guidelines at all times. By doing so, we can all continue to enjoy all things Warhammer for a long time to come.
These guidelines do not constitute formal approval or authorization of any fan content, or a waiver of our legal rights. We reserve the right to change these guidelines at any time.
Fan-fiction, hobby books and magazines
Individuals may write their own stories, hobby books and magazines based on our characters and settings, but these must:
- not include text, artwork or imagery copied from any official Games Workshop material
- be non-commercial, with no money being received or paid. This includes all forms of fundraising activity, and generation of any advertising revenue
- not be publicly distributed, except for no-charge digital distribution
- make it clear that they are unofficial, without using any Games Workshop logos, and include the word ‘unofficial’ prominently on the front cover
- not be prejudicial to the goodwill, reputation or integrity of Games Workshop or its intellectual property
Fan-artwork
Individuals may create their own artwork, drawings and designs, based on our characters and settings, but these must:
- not include artwork or imagery copied from any official Games Workshop material
- be non-commercial, with no money being received or paid. This includes all forms of fundraising activity, and generation of any advertising revenue
- not be publicly distributed, except for no-charge digital distribution
- make it clear that they are unofficial, without using any Games Workshop logos
- not be prejudicial to the goodwill, reputation or integrity of Games Workshop or its intellectual property
Fan-sites
Individuals may create their own fan sites based on our characters and settings, but these must:
- not include text, artwork, imagery, footage or animation copied from any official Games Workshop material
- make it clear that they are unofficial, without using any Games Workshop logos
- not post or display rules or stats copied from from any official Games Workshop material
- not be prejudicial to the goodwill, reputation or integrity of Games Workshop or its intellectual property
Underlying rights
Please be aware that where fan content is created based on our settings and characters, Games Workshop retains ownership in respect of the underlying intellectual property rights in those worlds, and therefore such fan content cannot be sold or otherwise monetised.
Infringements
We have a zero tolerance policy in respect of infringement of our intellectual property rights. This includes:
- counterfeit models – our products must not be reproduced and sold.
- imitation models – our products must not be imitated. Imitators produce models which copy heavily from Games Workshop’s artwork, books or products.
- recasting and 3D printing – our products must not be illegally re-cast or scanned, nor should digital designs of our products be illegally produced and distributed.
- Illegal downloads – our publications, audio books, and other material protected by copyright must not be illegally uploaded, shared, or distributed in any format.
- unauthorised use of our trademarks – unauthorised use or registration of our trademarks in respect of similar products or services is not permitted.
- Fan-films and animations – individuals must not create fan films or animations based on our settings and characters. These are only to be created under licence from Games Workshop.
- Games and apps – individuals must not create computer games or apps based on our characters and settings. These are only to be created under licence from Games Workshop.
Reporting your concerns
There’s a lot of stuff out there in the world. If you see anything that you’re worried about or think that we should know about then drop us an email at infringements@gwplc.com. Please provide as much detail as possible and include links to the infringing material. We appreciate your support.