First of all, if I am posting this in the wrong place then please let me know, I’ve looked for a more suitable forum but can’t see one.
I recently emailed sales with a question and haven’t had a reply so I was wondering if anyone else can help.
I work as an Oracle developer in a company that has a $100000+ yearly turnover. For no part of my job do I use Unity and it is rare that I even use C#.
However, in my spare time I like to play around with Unity and C#.
What would be the licensing implications of installing Unity on my work PC to play around with at lunch time? Would I still be ok with the free version or would I now need the Pro version?
It’s the use case that’s the issue, you’re using Unity for you own personal non-work things then you can use the free version, regardless of who owns the machine. When you come to publish, if you are doing so under your name you’re good. If you did it under Oracles, you would be breaking the terms of the license.
I finally got the following response from Unity Sales:
Hi Craig,
Thank you for your email to Unity Technologies.
If the machine is owned by the company, then yes, you will need a Unity Pro license.
I hope this of help to you.
Thanks
Cathy
My original email was as follows:
Hi, I’m a developer at a small company with a turnover of over $100000 a year. However, we develop Oracle database business applications. In my spare time at home I use the free version of Unity. I was wondering what the requirements are if I wanted to install unity on my work PC and work on my personal projects on my lunch break? Do I still need to buy a license even though it would not be used to develop anything for the company? Thank you,
Hey! I just chatted with Cathy about this, turns out she was incorrect and she sends her mega apologies!
Since you are working on your personal projects on a work computer, this is actually ok. If you were working on the companies projects using free, that’s when we would have beef with it.
Hmm… I got the impression of similar question here at forums long time ago (also answered by Unity people, maybe by graham(?)) that it would be allowed only if the computer is a laptop or similar mobile device that you also bring home and use for personal stuff also but not when it’s located at the business office 24/7 no matter what you do with it?
Typically installing personal software in work computers is against work policy. In most cases the company is legally responsible for all content on your computer, leaving them ‘owning’ a copy of Unity free. I would tread very carefully here.
Glad you said something. I was on my way to the bottom of the page to say just this. It’s not Unity you need to be worrying about, but your Employer. Especially with companies that generate Intellectual Property. Due to some of the work of the game or whatever you’re fiddling with being done on their machine, they can technically take ownership of the software. If you ever release and make money it could result in a conflict of interest. Not saying this applies to every company (it does mine, and I had to get them to release the copyright for my game to me). Best thing to do is to now contact your HR rep and verify it’s OK to use company resources in your off-time for a personal project.
Thanks everyone, I do realise I will have to speak with people at work too, I even mentioned it near the top! I just figured going to them with the answer to their question of ‘how much will it cost’ would be the best approach.
Why bother with all the headaches? Just get yourself a lappy that has nothing to do with any part of your work and use unity on that. Preferably not on company time. You are taking quite a risk. I remember a person I knew a long time ago that worked for Epic. He frequented a forum I was part of and used the product of that company, Blitz3D, to develop a cool physics based puzzler. The game was complete and was for sale. When his managers found out though he had to take the game down and suffer the wrath of Epic.
Yeah, building your own games while you are employed by a game firm is generally a legal no go. Most countries have laws that prevent you competing with your employer.
Making a game while working at a game company is generally not a problem in sane places (like where I live), if you do it in your spare time on your own computer(s). It might get iffy when you work for an MMO company and make your own, at least if you are also one of their network developers. But making a little single-player mobile game at home while your day job is making online shooters wouldn’t be a problem here.
People seem to think that the genre matters. It’s gaming software in the entertainment industry and anything that can compete could be a legal liability. It’s 100% up to your employer and any non compete contracts you might have signed. Don’t assume for a second that because you’re employer makes an MMO and you’re making a squishy sponge mobile game that there won’t be issues. There may or may not be. Just gotta check with HR or your boss or whatever.
And I know of companies here where the employers don’t mind one bit if their employees also make games on their own. Unlike in America, employees aren’t property.
tl;dr: Check your local laws, rules and bastardhood of the employer.
In my country I could see a civil case against going the way of the employer in the case of game company versus employee.
On the other hand I have a generic line in my contract that says any software and IP I develop while employed for the company is company property. However as my day job has nothing to do with games, or even software development in general, this would not hold up in court if my employer tried to claim my games. If I developed on work hardware then it gets complex again. Generally the employer has to prove that they in some way enabled the IP, or that the IP in some way damages their business.
Its a combination of the law, your individual contract, the general attitude of courts in your country and so forth.
This doesn’t always hold up in court if they do decide to chase you. Not unless you get things in writing or you get your contract amended.
