The end of the Minecraft video game is materialized by a long text written by Julian Gough. The author claims that it does not belong, legally, to anyone.
Did you know ? Minecraft, the best-selling video game of all time, has an ending. It requires killing a dragon, located in the Ender (there is a complete guide at this address). However, don’t expect a great cinematic: the end takes the form of a long poetic text, signed by Julian Gough (the identity of the author is confirmed by Markus Persson, founder of the Mojang studio, behind the game).
And can you imagine that the text in question, which scrolls for long minutes, would not belong… to anyone. It is based on a version of the Creative Commons license which is the most permissive possible (CC0). She would let anyone use the work as they pleased, without fear of subsequent claims for infringement. In theory, it should belong to Microsoft — which bought Minecraft in 2014 – but Julian Gough claims to have never signed any contract in a long testimony published on January 7.
Everyone owns the end of Minecraft
Julian Gough would have received €20,000 for his contribution to Minecraft, a meager sum compared to all the millions made by Mojang – not to mention the arrival of Microsoft in the equation. Has he been had? A little, when you read his story. But he doesn’t want to blame anyone: he just defines himself as an artist to whom the notions of business escape a little. ” I wrote a story for a friend. But, in the end, he didn’t treat me like a friend. And I’m hurt “, he sums up, with poetry and philosophy in what looks like a life lesson.
According to him, he would therefore never have signed the initial contract – which should have linked him to Mojang as to the rights to his text – and would never have associated with Microsoft either. He could have chosen to go to court with the multinational, which uses its intellectual property and makes money with it, without a contractual framework. Instead, he chose to take to the skies and do his work on Minecraft a work usable by everyone (including Microsoft). Therefore, he chose the license that comes closest to the public domain.
Under this regime, this means that the words of the poem can be used at will, even for commercial projects. ” If you are doing things just for fun, for yourself or friends, or even for profit, you can go for it. Yes, put them on the internet, give them away, sell them, whatever, it’s all good “, he says. He makes it clear that he will not chase anyone for “ money ” because it is “ a gift from the universe. »
