Times have definitely changed at GW as these old Intellectual Property rules from years past may surprise you…
People were quite upset at the recent restrictions on video content, but the Games Workshop IP rules used to be much different.
We went into the cat tub time machine and did some digging to find the last set of archived Games Workshop’s IP rules. In some respects, they were more lenient, in others they were much more strict. At least they were pretty polite back then about the rules, sometimes it not what you ask, but how you ask it I suppose.
We’ll break down some of the funnier ones here (because there definitely are some), but if you want to check out all the old rules, we reposted them here.
Let’s get into it!
GW’s Old Intellectual Property Rules Will Surprise You
The first interesting thing to note, it looks like the current CEO may have been the one who wrote these rules back in 2006. He was used as an example in the rules for the background.
They broke the rules back in the day into categories of what you can do and what you can’t do. The list of can’t do is quite a bit longer, but hey, they are IP rules so that’s to be expected.
This one is just a little funny to us at least. They didn’t want folks to make PC background themes using any of their images. It seems pretty hard to enforce, at least they are nice about it and ask you please. I’ve never heard of a Tattoo artist getting a notice from GW, but that’s not saying it never happened!
This is where things get perhaps a little comical. They seemed to frown on Tattoos because another artist had to render the artwork and get paid for it. That’s just kind of crazy, to think they don’t even want you to have tattoos because another artist had to make money.
Luckily this is no longer in there, or at least we haven’t seen it since.
Second, they used to take a much more staunch stance on commission painters, if you said you paint GW stuff exclusively, that was a no-no. This was another good thing to take out because it seems like they are just getting free promotions for people painting and sharing their stuff!
Have a look through the whole document for more of what you can, and can not do with Games Workshop’s IP.
Check out the Whole Document Here
What do you think about the old rules?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
