Bonnie Kiwi, a well-known Fortnite creator and UEFN developer has exposed Epic's contradictory policy, which allows some maps that violate IP rights to flourish while explicitly prohibiting doing so.
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Epic Games’ Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) has come under fire from many players for its ambiguous intellectual property (IP) usage rules, following the removal of Call of Duty maps from Fortnite Creative 2.0 in March that angered some fans. This time, SpongeBob SquarePants is the source of the controversy.
Bonnie Kiwi, a well-known Fortnite creator and UEFN developer has exposed Epic’s contradictory policy, which allows some maps that violate IP rights to flourish while explicitly prohibiting doing so. If you need more information about Players of Fortnite who are perplexed by Epic’s Creative 2.0 IP rules, then read carefully, and don’t forget to share with your friends.
Kiwi is worried because the SpongeBob Prop Hunt Creative map has been popular in Fortnite for more than a week. It appears to be a complete violation of the updated Terms of Services laid out by the company in March that Epic approved the map to be published and made money from despite having a trademarked name—the Paramount-owned SpongeBob SquarePants—in its title.
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In the replies, several creators support Kiwi’s plea for Epic to be consistent. Kiwi also brought up how there are a lot of Spider-Man-themed maps in UEFN and Fortnite Creative, raising the question of whether or not the rules don’t apply to IPs that are already in Fortnite.
The same goes for the 5000 Spider-Man maps that are somehow allowed yet completely against tos. Can we use IP so long as it’s in Fortnite? If so, tell us! By TheBonnieKiwi
Activision served DMCA notices on the Fortnite UEFN designers back in March, resulting in the removal of several Creative 2.0 maps that contained elements from the Call of Duty series. Epic revised its UEFN policies in response to this contentious incident and warned players of the potential repercussions of violating IP rights, which include permanent account bans.
Several Creative Maps continue to use intellectual property (IP) without facing any repercussions, despite Epic’s ostensibly strict stance on copyright infringement. The sheer quantity of maps makes it seem unlikely that the creators were able to secure the necessary permissions, though we don’t know for sure.
Epic’s policy for IPs states the following: “Using anyone’s intellectual property without their permission is a violation of Epic’s rules, including the Fortnite EULA and of our Fortnite Island Creator Rules. Those rules make it clear that you are not permitted to create, publish, or monetize content based on others’ copyrighted IP.”
Many players pointed out that Epic possibly only removes maps if it receives legal notices. “To threaten account banning and then just let IP slip on through all the time anyway? Seems like a massive headache for the legal department,” Kiwi replied.
It’s only fair that Epic updates its policies to explicitly state what is allowed and what isn’t given the severe penalties associated with posting inspired content on Fortnite Creative 2.0. Sportslumo contacted Epic for a response, but they provided no information that helped to clarify the situation. It replied with the statement, “Epic is committed to assisting people and organizations protect their IP rights,” and a link to its March 8 IP rules.
June 6, 2023, 04:24 CT update: The comment from Epic Games was added.
