Are These Spells Copyright

[MNH Gaming]

So after building most of my world, I've finally settled down to the battling mechanics and skills. I'm happy to make my own custom names for physical type moves, but I find that the easiest and most logical spell system comes from Final Fantasy's
"-a, -aga, -ja" post-fix notation. I have no idea if this is just a language thing in Japanese or if this is a copyrighted system. For those unfamiliar with the system it works like this:

Fire -> Fira -> Firaga -> Firaja

With each name increasing in strength, but maintaining the same elemental properties etc.

So can I use this notation freely or am I stuck with the somewhat uglier "Fire 1" "Fire 2" syntax? I really don't want to get into copyright disputes over something like this.

Side Note: This is my first post and if this isn't in the right forum, I apologize. Also, I did try and search this online, but I'm getting mixed answers between claiming it's Japanese for "great, greater, greatest" and/or it's part of the final fantasy universe which is copyrighted. Thanks for your time!

 

[Andar]

Names cannot be copyrighted, they can only be trademarked. And I really doubt that a company pays to have dozens of skill names registered as trademarks.

That said, the easiest solution would be to create your own postfix notations with slightly different spellings if you're really concerned about IP rights.

 

[MNH Gaming]

Thanks Andar! I'm a bit new to working with IP stuff and to me, having grown up on these games, those spell names are just how I think in terms of the spells themselves. I'm gonna run with it unless someone is able to contradict your post.

 

[Alice's hat trick]

Im just curious. If alphabet combinations can be trademarked just because someone paid for it, can the richest man on earth buy English so that none of these words can be used legally by anyone?

Btw I wouldn't worry about your notation thingy. There are tons of unofficial T-shirts featuring Final Fantasy characters. Square Enix hasn't bothered going after them so far. So who would ever bother to argue about spellings of a RPG game. Unless your game is going to be so famous it's threatening the market of Final Fantasy

 

[Andar]

Im just curious. If alphabet combinations can be trademarked just because someone paid for it, can the richest man on earth buy English so that none of these words can be used legally by anyone?

Theoretically he could try, but there are clauses against trademarks on prior used wordings and other clauses that IP is automatically voided if the word becomes general use (which is one reason why in some countries the IP holder is legally required to sue any and all fan-fiction or fan-games, because common use can void copyright and trademarks).
So basically no chance in hell to get through with that idea, although it had happened in a few cases of specific words (which then created a lot of lawsuits until the trademark was removed)

 

[Alice's hat trick]

which is one reason why in some countries the IP holder is legally required to sue any and all fan-fiction or fan-games, because common use can void copyright and trademarks).

Omg I never thought of it that way!!Now I'm not so sure about this

 

[Lonnehart]

Personally, I'd use different names that are unique to the world I'm building. Using a totally alien language (if it's not taking place anywhere where English is NOT the main language). I prefer not to use anything the larger video game makers use because it makes my game different from theirs.

 

[MNH Gaming]

Great feedback and super prompt responses. Thank you everyone! I fully intend to make my own unique spell names, but for simple fire/ice/lightning/heal spells, I absolutely love those post-fixes.

 

[Kes]

It is possible to do this, but I think equally important is the question - would it enhance the experience for the player to use these names? You, as the dev, have your particular preferences, but I have seen many posts where Members (metaphorically) throw their hands in the air and say, "oh no, not again!" when it is suggested that these names be used. There are an awful lot of people out there who view them as an overworked cliché, so that is something that you might want to keep in mind.

 

[MNH Gaming]

Alright, I'll bounce this off a few of my peers and see if they'd prefer unique naming conventions. I like "different", but I've played many games where that directly translates into "confusing". Again, thank you all for your responses!

 

[Aoi Ninami]

For me, I just find it grating when English words are rammed up against suffixes from a language (in this case a fragmentary constructed language -- they are not Japanese) with markedly different phonotactics. To an extent, you can get away with "Firaga", because the entire word could appear in a rigidly CVCV language (whose word for "fire" just happens to resemble the English word). But "Waterga"? Yuck.

 

[M.I.A.]

Sometimes, if I'm feeling swirly.. and my project has a small Database of skills, I will opt for Latin-inspired spell names.
Gives me a way to use a familiar/recognizable term and flex it up a little and drop the -a -aga -aja.

 

[Caitlin]

Spells names are a pain in the rear, actually. The spells from Final Fantasy are actually really well associated with Final Fantasy and it could do your game harm. Use unique names and no one knows what they are. Use the original names from the engine, everyone says how boring your names are. And before you think about it, use interesting names like Dance of the fire sword, I am sure that someone would call your game pretentious. I would actually consider using name that people in your area (country) are likely to know or be aware of. Me, I am not so sure what to call my spells.

 

[Lonnehart]

I want to use names that at first you don't associate with the spell effect. I'd like my players to experiment to see what the spell does (if they're too lazy to read the description. For instance... "#%^@!", #%^@!!", and #%^@!!!". Sure without the spell description you won't know what it does. You only know that it will end very badly for enemies you hit with it...

 

[Basileus]

I think you can check for trademarks on the relevant government websites, but I'm 99.9% sure that the Final Fantasy spell names have been trademarked.

The biggest warning sign is when you never see those terms used in any game not by the same studio. I have some limited knowledge of Japanese and those spell names should have nothing to do with the language, meaning they are almost certainly intellectual property thought up by the studio.

To protect yourself, I strongly recommend you do not use any Final Fantasy spell names, or iconic spell suffixes (Fire is obviously fine, Fira you can probably get away with, but Firaga and Firaja might be trademark infringement). If it's just a free fan game you'll probably be fine - but if you are making a commercial game then copying any names from popular games produced by major studios like SquareEnix is just begging for a lawsuit.

Persona 4 gives a good example for how to make your own similar system:

The basic, single-target Ice spell in that game is Bufu. The AoE version is Mabufu. The stronger single-target version is Bufula with Mabufula being the stronger AoE version. The next tier for both then becomes Bufudyne and Mabufudyne. This also works for the other elements. It sounds like utter nonsense at first but it has consistency so it is easy to pick up once you see it in game a few times. All it takes is making up a base word then creating your own prefixes and suffixes - just make sure these always have the same meaning whenever you use them. You don't need to force yourself to use actual words either. Just make up something from random syllables and it will even have that "mythical" or "exotic" feel to it.

 

[rpgdreamer]

In all honestly, I'm STILL confused about the post-fixes on Final Fantasy spells, so I see no harm in making up something unique for people to learn.

 

[Lonnehart]

I guess you could use words from other languages. Just gotta be careful due to how one word in that language can be an offensive word in others. For example, the word that defines the stone waste that comes from refining metallic ore is also a derogatory british slang word...

I know at least this much because I'm a Transformers fan, and when the dinobots are flown to the place the Triceritops robot's name gets changed for this reason.

 

[Grunwave]

Is this a commercial project?

 

[Kes]

@Grunwave Whether a game is commercial or not is irrelevant as far as copyright and trademark law is concerned. Just because you are not setting out to make money out of your game does not change the legality of your actions. See all the free fan games that have been taken down over the years because of this.

 

[Grunwave]

Fan games taken down because of their titles, or something else?