Some questions on asset licencing

[Iray_Makes_Fans_Go_Brr]

Lets say you are a game developer, you hire someone who makes you some renders.

Do you, the owner of the game need to own the assets, is it enough if your hired 3d artist owns the assets?

Edit: would you need to keep proof of your 3d artist's ownership of assets?

Anyone have any experience with asset creators requesting proof of purchase? If so how does that usually go?

Thanks

 

[Synx]

No, you dont need to own the assets. Renders your hired artist makes are his own property and has nothing to do with the assets used in the renders. Your artist can sell/give away the Renders without everyone requiring to have the assets.

You dont need to have proof your 3d artist has ownership of the assets. You bought the renders which are his own property. How they made them has nothing to do with the product you received. If somebody asks you if you bought the assets used in the renders (which is extremely unlikely to start with) you can just refer them to your artist.

 

[Rich]

Synx's statements are all correct.

Under normal circumstances, people are allowed to assume that, when they buy a product or a work for hire, the vendor had the legal right to produce/sell them. You don't ask Walmart if they came by that <whatever> legally, right? You assume they do. Of course, if you know that your vendor is producing the renders illegally things are just a tiny bit more dicey. Sort of like buying a new TV out of the back of a truck parked in a dark alley. There, the circumstances aren't "normal," so caveat emptor. But that's far from the nominal case.

If you wanted to be really paranoid, in your contract with the person making you the renders, you could include a clause such as "Vendor warrants that he/she has the required licenses to all tools and assets used to produce said renders." Then, if someone comes to you (unlikely) and won't accept "They were purchased from a third party. Go go see them." (very, VERY unlikely), you can point to the clause in the contract and say "I relied on the following in the agreement with my vendor. Go away."