Rights in 3D assets are frequently ignored until they matter, and by then the asset is shipped.
The questions
- Can it be used commercially?
- Can it be modified?
- Does attribution have to be given, and where?
- Can it be redistributed — including inside a game build, which is a form of distribution?
- Is the licence perpetual, or tied to a subscription?
- Does it cover the whole team, or one seat?
A licence that permits use but not modification is nearly useless for game assets, because every asset gets modified.
Where assets come from
- Made in-house. Rights are clear, assuming employment or contract terms say so.
- Commissioned. The contract decides. Say explicitly that rights transfer; it is not automatic in every jurisdiction.
- Marketplace. Read the specific licence, which varies by marketplace and sometimes by asset.
- Free and open-licensed. Terms vary enormously, and some require the derived work to carry the same licence — which is a significant commitment.
- Scanned or photographed. The rights in the original object and in the photographs both matter.
Generated assets
The legal position around AI-generated content is developing and differs by jurisdiction. The practical points that hold regardless:
- Read the terms of the service you used, particularly on commercial use and ownership of outputs.
- Keep records of what was generated, when, and from what inputs.
- Be careful with input material you do not own. Generating from someone else's copyrighted image is a rights question about your input, whatever the output terms say.
- Recognisable trademarks and likenesses carry their own restrictions independent of copyright.
This is not legal advice, and anything commercially significant is worth a lawyer's opinion rather than a knowledge base article's.