Supporting Community Entrepreneurs: Build With Star Atlas Intellectual Property, First $1M in Revenue is Royalty-Free

Back to top

Builders and Explorers,

Star Atlas is community-driven and community-built. As we note in our Sustainable Governance Framework (sustainable-governance.pdf (staratlas.com)), many builders among you have come together to build countless amazing and creative tools, guides, analytics, media, games, and more by using the creative intellectual property that defines the look and feel of Star Atlas. To date, those creations were limited to non-commercial and not-for-profit uses pursuant to our prior guidelines.

Builders, get ready. Effective today, you can commercialize Star Atlas intellectual property, subject to the requirements previewed in this article and described in detail in the Star Atlas Terms of Service. And the requirements are very light: no preapprovals (generally), no need to own an NFT, no need to pay anything up front. Just head to https://build.staratlas.com, a new resource dedicated to builders like you. Review the Terms of Service, brainstorm an idea, fill out the creators' form, download the resources you need from our Star Atlas IP repository, and then start building! (Note: For non-commercial and not-for-profit uses, you may continue to use Star Atlas IP just as before; we are simply making it easier to access high quality versions of assets through the repository.)

You can connect with us on the Star Atlas Discord if you have any questions and to provide feedback so we can continue to improve on the community building experience.

Although the Terms of Service and the Build pages contain the details you need to start creating, below we answer some more commonly-asked questions:

  • What intellectual property can I use?
  • What products and services can I create?
  • What am I not allowed to create?
  • What royalties will I owe?
  • What other requirements do I need to know about?
  • Can I get support for the development of my product or service?

WHAT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CAN I USE?

At the Build page of the website (https://build.staratlas.com), you will find documentation for developers using our open-source code and dev tools, as well as a new repository containing specific Star Atlas intellectual property assets for your creative use. The assets in the repository are part of the " Star Atlas canon ," consisting of final, public, and essential pieces of Star Atlas creative intellectual property, including:

  • Faction logos and fonts
  • Art for ships, characters, and locations
  • Story and lore information
  • A special "Star Atlas: Powered by the People" logo

On initial release, the repository has a select number of assets to help you get started on your journey, but it will grow over time. We will add new creative assets to it as we continue building the Star Atlas canon. We also will add to it based on feedback from builders on what they need for their creations.

Note that you do not need to own any Star Atlas NFTs in order to make use of the art associated with the NFT. Although many other web3 projects take that approach, we want our builders to be able to make full use of the content in the repository so they can create deep and engaging content without needing to pay up-front amounts to acquire a large number of NFTs.

Please note that the repository does not include:

  • Source code. Although we often release open-source code, we do so under a separate software license. We also maintain proprietary and closed-source code.
  • UE5 and WebGL animations and wireframes. For now, we are holding these assets back as they represent proprietary trade secrets.
  • Work-in-progress or drafts. We may sometimes add drafts to the repository, particularly on request, but generally the repository will only include final, public creative assets.
  • The core Star Atlas trademarks. The name "Star Atlas" and the associated "Star Atlas" and stylized "A" logos are not available for broad use—i.e., you cannot use "Star Atlas" in the name of your product. Instead, you should use the special "Star Atlas: Powered by the People" logo described below.

If a creative asset is not part of the canon and is not available on the repository—for example, if it is found on other parts of the website or in our social media—it is not available for you to use. However, let us know if you need it and we will evaluate whether to add it to the repository on a case-by-case basis.

WHAT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES CAN I CREATE?

You can create almost any product or service for a commercial service that you can imagine, with a few examples that follow:

Category Illustrative Examples
Software A side-scroller action game of an Ustur fighting through an army of MUDs (although to create a video game, you need to obtain prior approval)
Board Games or Card Games A collectible card game featuring characters and environments from Star Atlas
Figurines and Collectibles 3D-printed figurines of ships and key characters from Star Atlas lore
Books and Comics A novel about new characters from the MUD faction and their space battles with other factions
Merch T-shirts and hoodies of faction logos
Services A Photoli Pizza restaurant

We look forward to being surprised by how creative you all get with your projects!

WHAT AM I NOT ALLOWED TO CREATE?

We impose quality control guidelines on community creations, primarily to ensure that content meets a high standard of safety and inclusiveness. We will not tolerate use of Star Atlas IP for scams, misleading information, hate speech, personal attacks, harassment, illegal activities, or any other purpose that we deem inappropriate at our sole discretion.

Also, if you are creating an electronic game (such as video games, console games, PC games, mobile app games), you must obtain advance written permission and a custom license from us first. For the time being, we are imposing stricter quality control requirements on electronic games, although we expect to be supportive of most community requests.

And as noted above, you cannot use the core "Star Atlas" trademarks in the name of your product or service.

WHAT ROYALTIES WILL I OWE?

Appendix B of the Star Atlas Terms of Service provides detail on the royalties that you will owe, but in a nutshell you will owe a percentage royalty on gross revenue that your creation generates—but the first $1 million USD in lifetime gross revenue is royalty-free. Gross revenue includes any amounts received by you or any other person or entity. The royalty rate is also dependent on the type of industry in which revenue is generated, according to the table in Appendix B, which is pasted here:

Industry Product Description Royalty Rate
Software Entertainment Provides an entertainment product or service.Note: Electronic Games require preapproval and a custom license that will be subject to a custom royalty rate. See Section 3.3(b)(iii) of the Terms of Service. 5%
System Application Provides a product or service-based application 4%
Media Books/Comics Includes literature 3%
Film Includes any visual production 3%
Music Includes any music or soundtrack 3%
Art Includes all other art media 10%
Games & Figures Board Games Includes all physical tabletop and board game products 2%
Figurines Includes all physical and 3D-printed replicas 5%
Card Games Includes all physical card game products 7%
Apparel Clothing Includes all types of garments 3%
Home Appliances/Decor Home Appliances Includes all household appliances 3%
Home Decor Includes all home décor 8%
Other All products that do not fit into the above categories 10%

If your product or service is sold across multiple industry categories, just calculate the royalty rate for each industry.

Here are some illustrative examples of royalty scenarios:

  • You write a story about a new MUD character and sell novels and 3D-printed figurines of the character. After you generate $1 million USD in Gross Revenue (which will be royalty-free), you will then owe 3% on Gross Revenue from novels and 5% on Gross Revenue from figurines going forward.
  • You enter a deal with a publisher, who pays you a $1,100,000 advance on a book you are developing about Star Atlas. Your book then sells 100,000 copies for $20 apiece. You will owe (1) a 3% royalty on the advance of $100,000 (because the first $1,000,000 is excluded), and (2) a 3% royalty on the $2,000,000 your book sales generated. However, if the publisher recoups advance payments from you, the amounts you paid back to the publisher will be credited in your favor under the double-payment exclusion in the Terms of Service.
  • You create a website dedicated to selling Star Atlas merchandise and sell both Star Atlas-related apparel as well as apparel that only uses your guild's logo. You will owe 3% on all sales through the website. However, if your website was a guild-specific website—i.e., the website did not depend on Star Atlas IP—on which you happened to sell some Star Atlas-related apparel and your own guild's apparel, you will only owe 3% on the Star Atlas-related apparel that you sell.

We hope that all builders will find these royalty rates encouraging, and we, as always, are open to feedback. We also can implement a custom license if the standard license does not make sense for your particular business model.

WHAT OTHER REQUIREMENTS DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT?

In addition to royalty requirements (which only will need to be paid on very successful creations that exceed $1 million in revenue), your creations will need to follow other requirements, including::

  1. You must accept ATLAS and/or POLIS as payment options if feasible and practical.
  2. And, if feasible and practical, you should incorporate the use of Star Atlas NFTs.
  3. You must fill out a form when creating your product or service, found at https://build.staratlas.com.
  4. If and when your creation generates revenue beyond $1 million USD, you will need to get in touch with us (via email at legal@staratlas.com) and fill out a royalty form at https://build.staratlas.com.
  5. You must keep accurate records about your product, including revenue records. We may occasionally ask to review revenue records to ensure we are aligned on any royalties owed.
  6. You may not imply that you have an official partnership or endorsement with us, although you may advertise that you are under an official Star Atlas license.
  7. You need to include this disclaimer: "[Name of Your User Service] is inspired by Star Atlas. STAR ATLAS and STAR ATLAS: POWERED BY THE PEOPLE are trademarks or registered trademarks of ATMTA, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere."
  8. You must display this " Star Atlas: Powered by the People" logo prominently on your product or service:

CAN I GET SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MY PRODUCT OR SERVICE?

You can seek funding support from third parties if you so desire, although amounts that you raise may be considered as Gross Revenue (such as amounts raised from Kickstarter or other crowdfunding campaigns) and may require payment of a royalty if the funding amount exceeds $1 million.

Also, the Star Atlas DAO will soon be making decisions on the use of the assets in the DAO's treasury, especially for ecosystem development. The DAO will be able to consider project proposals and may award development grants. Grant recipients will need to adhere to custom license requirements tailored to the specific proposal while also following the requirements of the Star Atlas Terms of Service.

And if you need other forms of support, such as technical assistance if your product is integrating Star Atlas NFTs, reach out to us and we will see if we can help. Please note that our ability to assist directly with community projects may be limited, depending on demand and availability of our team members.

Have any other questions about using Star Atlas IP? Just find us on the Star Atlas Discord and ask away. We cannot wait to see what you all are building!


ABOUT STAR ATLAS

Star Atlas is a next-gen gaming metaverse emerging from the confluence of state-of-the-art blockchain, real-time graphics, multiplayer video games, and decentralized financial technologies.

Using Unreal Engine 5's Nanite, real-time graphics technology allows for cinematic quality video game visuals. In addition, blockchain technology using the Solana protocol establishes a largely serverless and secured gameplay experience. Non-fungible tokens obtained and traded within Star Atlas create an economy that replicates tangible world assets and ownership. To learn more, visit StarAtlas.com, join a faction at Play.StarAtlas.com, send your spaceships on a deep space mission by enrolling them in a Faction Fleet, harvesting resources with Faction Claims and download the Showroom on your PC.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

Twitter | Discord | YouTube | Instagram | Reddit | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitch | Tik Tok | Telegram | Medium

Disclaimer

The updates in this report are provided for informational purposes only about the Star Atlas game and metaverse, for which ATMTA, Inc. is the lead developer. Except for statements of historical fact, the statements included herein are forward-looking statements that are based on the beliefs of ATMTA, Inc.'s management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to ATMTA, Inc.'s management. Although ATMTA, Inc.'s management believes these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. ATMTA, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required under applicable law. These forward-looking statements are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties and include, without limitation, statements about ATMTA, Inc.'s business prospects, future developments, industry and market trends and conditions, strategies, objectives, and goals. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. No financial, tax, or legal advice is given or implied.

We use cookies to enhance your experience and analyze our site usage. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information.

Accept Cookies