Commercial Use License | In person use
COMMERCIAL USE AGREEMENT FOR IN-PERSON EVENT HOSTING:
If you have purchased the standard license for a single-use game and would like to use it commercially (as a benefit to your business/organization &/or in public &/or for profit) or if you wish to have multiple uses of the game within a year's timeframe, you must also purchase this commercial license. One commercial license covers one game for up to a year if it is purchased along with the standard license for that game. The purchase of the downloadable (PDF) version of the game is the purchase of the standard license (single-use) for that game.
If you wish to license multiple games, you will need a standard and commercial license for each game. One commercial license covers one theme if and only if the standard license has also been purchased.
The in-person commercial license expires after a one-year period or on the date that the standard license to which it has been applied expires (whichever comes first), and the licensee will be responsible to renew upon expiration - we do not send notices of expiration. You are responsible for knowing whether your event is covered by your commercial license.
You are not allowed to promote the game - online, verbal, print, or otherwise - without an active commercial license. Doing so will void all active licenses with My Mystery Party and make you ineligible for future licenses. We do monitor activity for our game titles and content online, and if you are caught promoting without a commercial license, you will be subject to legal action and forbidden to host the game commercially. There are no exceptions.
You can host the game an unlimited amount of times (as long as the Buyer on record is present as the host for each game - no exceptions) If you have different hosts - each host will need to be commercially licensed.
You will need a commercial license if:
- You are promoting the game online, verbally (radio, social media, television, podcasts, stream, or otherwise), via print, or otherwise &/or
- You plan to use the game more than one time (public or private) &/or
- You intend to perform the game in public with spectators who have paid an entry fee for the event - whether you intend to make a profit or not &/or
- You intend to use the game for profit (public or private) &/or
- You intend to host the game for a public murder mystery event (i.e., dinner theater, fundraisers, bed and breakfasts, corporate events, a benefit of a membership, etc.), whether or not you charge for participation or entry, as using our game to promote your business or organization in any manner will require a commercial license, &/or
- If you are charging an entry fee to any event (public or private) in which the event includes or is associated with our game in any manner - even if you are not expecting a profit and only expecting to recoup the costs associated with the event (e.g. the game, meals, decor, etc.).
- If you are purchasing the game and selling the package &/or participation of the game to a client or including the package as part of your services to them (note: you must be the host on site during the game - the game license will not transfer to your client), and this pertains to, but is not limited to, events run by eating establishments in which the game is played at the restaurant, event planners/consultants planning events for clients, a theater club, a social event for an organization in which the guests of the event are paying members, events at a bed and breakfast, events held in public, etc.
- If you are hosting the event on a virtual platform - this is not the license you will need for hosting video platform games - this page is only for in-person, face-to-face hosting. Click here for the virtual use license.
You will not need a commercial license if:
- You are hosting this as a single event in private, not promoting online or in public in any manner, and not accepting any form of payment for participation &/or
- You are a school, library, or other public agency/corporation who is hosting this as a single event, not promoting it online or in public in any manner, and it is at no charge to the players or spectators.
*This 501(c) program is discontinued as of July 1st, 2023. We do not have the staff to support the number of waived license events being hosted commercially, so we will be focusing our efforts on local, charitable events at our discretion only.
You cannot be licensed for:
- Any form of live-streaming or recording of the game in any form while being played, as that is a violation of the standard license of the game and our Terms and Conditions (www.mymysteryparty.com/info) and this is also copyright infringement. We do not allow any exposure of our game content online with the exception of the content that is used for promotion and available to everyone - with or without purchase - on our site, such as the YouTube video or synopsis - but using this material does require a commercial license and the statement below that you are hosting a My Mystery Party game with a link to our site as required by the commercial license agreement.
- You cannot get a commercial license for a beta-tested version of the game. A beta test version does not count as a standard license, as you were issued a store credit and the license was inactivated - or - you received the beta version at no charge for testing purposes. Therefore, you will need to purchase the standard license of the published game to be eligible to have it commercially licensed.
How to use your license:
- Print & store: Upon purchase, simply print out your order confirmation for your records, and the PDF file of the license for your records that you will receive upon purchase. Write your order number down on the license, as our staff could contact you if they find a violation (i.e., you posted about the game without a link to our site and the required statement).
- Getting the standard license linked: It is ideal to purchase the commercial and standard license on the same order. This is best for both parties as far as record-keeping is concerned. However, if you purchase the standard license and commercial license separately - the following are ways in which to link them and ensure you are getting the proper license activated.
- If you have made the purchase of the commercial license after the purchase of the standard license (i.e., the download version of the game is the standard, single-use/private license), in the comments section of the shopping cart of the commercial license order, you must put the order number and name of the game that you purchased the active standard license for in which you are commercially licensing. Without providing us this information, at 24 hours after the order, the license will automatically be applied to the most recent order of an active standard license on the Buyer's account (i.e., downloadable version of a game, which is the standard license). After 24 hours, this may not be altered without exception, as the commercial license may not be transferred. Using a game commercially without a license may result in legal action. If there are no active standard licenses on the account, see below.
- If you purchase a commercial license on an order without a standard license and do not provide the order number for the standard game license purchase (i.e., download version of the game), and there are no active standard game licenses associated with the Buyer's account, the commercial license will not be active until a standard game license is purchased under the Buyer's account. The inactive commercial license will automatically be applied to the next order placed on the Buyer's account for a standard license. There are no refunds on commercial licenses, so the commercial license will remain inactive until the standard license is purchased under the Buyer's account. You cannot commercially license a game purchased by a different Buyer, as our licenses are non-transferable. In the event the Buyer purchased multiple standard licenses on their next order after placing an order for a commercial license that is inactive, the license will be activated on the first standard license listed on the order. There are no exceptions and this cannot be transferred nor refunded.
- If multiple standard licenses are purchased at one time along with one commercial license, and if you fail to notify us of which game the commercial license applies, it will be assigned to the first listed on the order within 24-hours after purchasing the commercial license. Once this is activated, it cannot be changed, with no exceptions. For example, you cannot purchase commercial license on the same order with multiple standard licenses and not specify which one you are commercially licensing as 'insurance' in case you get caught hosting one of them and then claim the commercial license was meant for the one you were caught hosting. We would have applied the license to the first one listed on the order within 24-hours after the order was placed, so the remaining games on the order would not be commercially licensed.
- Double check your need for the license prior to purchase: this license is not transferable and there are no exceptions. There are no refunds on commercial licenses, so be sure you are purchasing a license that you will use.
- Using our graphics: if you need to use our graphics for the promotion of your event in any form (i.e., paper print, web, video, etc.), you are to include a reference that all art is the property of and was provided by MyMysteryParty.com. If this reference is on the web, there must be an active link to our site within the same font size as the informational text on the page. Any violation of these terms (i.e., we find that you are selling our products or any portion of our products to another end user, etc.) will nullify this commercial license and we will pursue immediate legal action against you.
- Active period: this in-person (face-to-face) hosting license expires after a one-year period or on the date of expiration for the standard license of which it has been assigned. It is expected that you will purchase the standard and commercial licenses together, but if you do not, the commercial license will be active for the remainder of the standard license's active period. You hereby agree to download the most current version of the commercially licensed game as they arise. The game site will have a notice when an update is made to the game. You will not be allowed to use former versions of the game for your events.
- Retired Games: on occasion, we retire our games - either the theme goes out of date or a lower popularity ranking doesn't warrant the next round of edits and updates. If you have a commercial license for a game that is no longer offered on our site, you still have the ability to host the game during your year after purchase active period per this commercial license. Albeit, we will no longer be updating nor supporting the game with updates, pre-game site, or other game materials.
Your licenses will be automatically be voided without refund due any of the following:
- Materials are not to be modified nor transferred: you are not authorized to modify or sell any game documents in any form (i.e., electronic, printed, or otherwise), and you must not transfer any portion of the game materials in any manner (with the exception of you, the host, providing the designated materials to a player during gameplay) to another end-user.
- Buyer on record must be present as the host: The Buyer/licensee on record must be present in the room at all times for the duration of the game. This license gives you the right to host the published My Mystery Party mystery game at your event, as long as you (the Buyer on record/User/Licensee) abide by the agreement in full and are physically present.
- Online and printed materials must give My Mystery Party credit - you cannot attempt to pass the game off as your own, as that is copyright infringement that is subject to legal action: In all promotional materials (including online content, printed, verbal, or other), you are to include a statement that the game title is a MyMysteryParty.com game with a live link (for electronic forms) to www.mymysteryparty.com (printed materials must include the statement and a web address.) Failure to do so will void the license without notice. Removing the MyMysteryParty.com copyright information or logo is forbidden, and will void this license without notice. The required statement and live, correct hyperlink must be the same font size as the informational text and located within one line of the last informational text on the page or other form of promotion. Skipping down multiple lines, making the font smaller than the font sizes on the page, or adding a graphic in between your informational text and graphics will be an attempt to hide the statement. Any attempt at hiding or obscuring that you are hosting our game will void the license without warning and be considered copyright infringement. Therefore, using/posting our materials online, failing to mention it is our game, and removing any evidence of copyright will void this license without warning and you will not be entitled to a refund of any and all licenses that have been voided due to a breach in the agreement. We will contact you via email at the email address on file for the Buyer/Licensee to notify you of the breach and voided license. We do monitor online routinely.
- Posting spoilers (i.e., photos of who the victim or murderer are, photos of the player in costume as the victim, etc.) or any form of copywritten material (i.e., victim sign, forensic report - printed copy, clue cards, verbal, electronic, or otherwise) is not allowed per the standard license and Terms and Conditions and will be a breach in this agreement, leading to a voided license and all licenses (previous/future) voided with My Mystery Party, LLC. This is copyright infringement, as you would be posting materials that are protected via copyright. You are to ensure that your players know not to post game materials online.
If you breach the agreement via any of the points above, you will void the license and you may be subject to legal action, as that is a violation of the license agreements and copyright law. There are no refunds on commercial or standard licenses for any reason, with no exceptions and this includes a violation of the terms that leads to the licenses being voided.
License agreements were updated on 07/01/2023, 06/29/20, 9/20/20, 4/12/21, 5/2/23, 5/10/24