GMod Map Copyright Basics for Mappers and Buyers
GMod map copyright explained in plain terms: who owns a map, what applies to third-party content and what buyers may do. Not legal advice.
A GMod map you built yourself is protected as your own work if it reflects your own creative decisions, and in most countries that protection arises automatically when the map is created. Third-party textures, models and sounds inside the map still belong to their respective rights holders. Anyone who buys a map acquires a right to use it under the seller's terms, not ownership of the work.
Who owns a map you built yourself?
A map contains many creative decisions: layout, architecture, lighting mood, details, how players move through it. Whoever makes and implements those decisions is generally the author. The German Copyright Act (UrhG), for example, says that the author is the creator of the work (§ 7) and that only personal intellectual creations are protected (§ 2). In most countries no application or registration is needed for that: the Berne Convention, which most countries have joined, rules out formalities as a condition for protection.
Three points cause misunderstandings in practice:
- Your own contribution counts. Someone who only slightly modifies another person's map has generally not created a work of their own and needs the original mapper's consent to publish or exploit the result. Under German law that consent is required even for an adaptation that is creative in its own right (§§ 3 and 23 UrhG).
- Team work. If several people build a map together, several people usually hold rights in it. In Germany, co-authors whose contributions cannot be exploited separately may only publish and exploit the work jointly (§ 8 UrhG). Put in writing beforehand who contributes what and who may publish or sell the map.
- Commissioned work. Paying for a map does not automatically make you its author or the holder of all rights. In Germany, for example, copyright itself cannot be transferred except by inheritance (§ 29 UrhG); the client receives rights of use whose scope follows the agreement and the purpose of the contract (§ 31 UrhG). What matters is what was agreed, and the rules differ from country to country.
Third-party content in the map
Hardly any map consists only of original content. For each component it is worth asking where it comes from and what you are allowed to do with it.
| Component | Who generally holds the rights | What you should clarify |
|---|---|---|
| Your own layout, textures and models | You | Keep project files and intermediate versions |
| Textures, models, sounds by other creators | Those creators | Read the license: commercial use, redistribution, credit |
| Content from games | The publishers of those games | Check the current terms of use yourself |
| Free asset packs from the internet | Their creators, often unclear | Document source and license, leave it out if in doubt |
| Real brands and logos | The trademark owners | Avoid or obtain permission |
The most common mistake is the idea that anything free to download is free to use. That is not correct. Many creators allow use only in non-commercial projects or only with credit. Once you sell a map at the latest, you need to know for every third-party asset whether that is covered.
What the terms of engine and game publishers say about commercial projects is best read in their current versions. For GMod maps these are above all the Steam Subscriber Agreement, which has a section of its own on Valve's developer tools such as the Hammer editor, on content created with them and on commercial use, and Facepunch's Modding Guidelines. This article does not assess them.
It also helps to separate technology from law. The fact that content can be embedded into a BSP says nothing about whether you may redistribute it. How packing works technically is covered in Pack custom content into a BSP.
What a buyer may do with a purchased map
When you buy a map you get a file and the right to use it within a certain scope. That scope is defined by the terms of the seller or the mapper. Use on your own server is typical. Resale, re-uploading and passing the map on to third parties are typically not included.
Owning a file therefore does not mean owning the work. The same goes for modifications: whether you may decompile and change a purchased map depends on the terms and on the law that applies to you. In Germany, for example, a modified version of a work may only be published or exploited with the author's consent (§ 23 UrhG). Background on the technical side is in BSP decompiling explained. If you need changes, ask the mapper. Many offer that.
Sharing and re-uploading
Passing on or re-uploading someone else's map without consent is generally not permitted. That applies even when no money changes hands, and even when you bought the map properly yourself. Under German law, for example, reproducing a work, distributing it and making it available for download are rights reserved to the author, and none of them depends on a commercial purpose (§§ 15, 16, 17 and 19a UrhG). For mappers this means the reverse: you can act against unauthorized copies, for example through the reporting channels of the platforms. The practical steps are in Map leaked: what to do.
What you should document as a mapper
In a dispute, what you can prove is what helps. These records take little effort and are worth a lot later:
- Project files with intermediate versions, meaning older copies of your .vmf with dates
- Early screenshots from the editor and from test runs
- A list of all third-party content with source, creator and license
- Release dates and version numbers of every build
- Written agreements with contributors and clients
- Checksums of the files you published
Keep the project files separate from the published map and do not hand them out unasked. Whoever holds the source files can show most easily that they built the map.
How bspmarket.de handles this
On bspmarket.de, creators keep the rights to their content. Buyers receive usage rights under the platform's terms, which do not include redistribution or re-uploading. On the technical side this can be backed by a fingerprint if the creator uses it for the product: every buyer copy then gets an individual technical proof that can be matched to a delivery server-side. That makes it possible to document where a copy came from. It does not answer the legal question of who owns a work. How the proof is structured and where its limits are is shown on the protection explained page. If you want to sell yourself, start at Become a creator.
FAQ
Do I have to register my map for it to be protected?
In most countries no, protection arises there when the work is created. You should still be able to show that you built the map and when. Dated project files and early screenshots are the simplest basis for that.
May I sell a map that requires content from other games?
That depends on the terms of the respective rights holders and cannot be answered in general. For content from Valve games, the Steam Subscriber Agreement prohibits copying or distributing it without Valve's prior written consent, unless the agreement itself or applicable law permits it. The usual technical approach is therefore not to ship such content but to list it as a requirement. Whether that is enough for your project is something to clarify with a lawyer if in doubt.
Do I automatically own a commissioned map once I have paid for it?
Not automatically. Which rights you get, such as exclusive use or the source files, should be agreed in writing before work begins. Without a clear agreement, conflicts arise easily later.
May I modify a purchased map for my server?
As a rule, only if the seller's terms or an agreement with the mapper allow it. If in doubt, ask first. A short written confirmation protects both sides.