I hate it when amiture game makers use sprites from a professional game. I am a big shmup fan and have been looking for some good freeware shmup games, every free one I seem to find is onorigional and has ripped sprites mixed with horrible amature ones.

I FIND IT HIGHLY DISRESPECTFUL to assume that well selling game sprites may be used because everyone knows them. If I find any of my sprites ripped and put into a another's game I would be very angry almost to the point of excess.

So in my game i need to have a sort of agreement statement that would legally protect aganst sprite ripping. What would the details need to say to nail down all loopholes?

Say this:

"By installing this program, using, viewing, or modifying the contents, you are bound by legal contract to comply with the following requirements and restrictions:

You may not reproduce, in any form or manner, any of the artwork, whether pre-rendered or dynamically genered, that is included as a part of this product, <NAME OF GAME>.

You may not claim any of the aforementioned artwork, or any derivatives, as your own, or use it in any independent production, in any way, shape, or form, without explicit written approval of the author, <YOUR NAME>.

In the event that the author gives you written approval of use of the aforementioned artwork, you must clearly give credit to him and be able to present your proof of approval if needed for legal reasons.

Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent possible under the law."

That oughta do it.

Edit: Shark raises a valid point. Added a prosecution line.

"Look, I know this guy who found a piece of chuck norris's fingernail and genetically attached it to a piece of paper from an old "X-Men" comic book. That piece of paper happened to be the juggernaut. You're welcome to steal this sh*t, just be well aware that the afforementioned guy is DYING to test that monster out. And you KNOW its built to kill."