Guidelines and Terms and Conditions
We are very pleased to release the visual assets enclosed in this pack for use by any member of the public in their own projects, under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-ND 4.0). We hope that in doing so, Null Signal Games will help foster the spirit of creativity which has been such a feature of the game’s community, as well as increase the public visibility of Netrunner and of Null Signal Games as an organization.
Please see the following guidelines for information on using the visual assets in this pack. These are broad-strokes guidelines, and do not comprise the full list of your legal rights and obligations for using these assets. Please see the bottom of this page for a detailed list of the terms and conditions under which these assets are licensed, a link to the full text of the CC BY-ND 4.0 License, a link to the Null Signal Games Code of Conduct, and a link to a zip file containing the assets in SVG format.
General guidelines for using these assets
1. Please do not mix our graphic assets with any FFG assets.
At Null Signal Games we have gone to great lengths to completely remake the art and graphic design assets for the game in order to distinguish our cards from the official Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) Android: Netrunner cards published between 2012–2018. This was due to legal concerns, as well as out of respect for the creators and owners of these original assets. If you use our graphical assets in combination with official FFG assets on your cards, it may be misconstrued as you and Null Signal Games colluding in an attempt to mislead buyers into thinking these are FFG-published cards. This may put Null Signal Games in legal jeopardy. In particular, please remember the following:
- Do not use FFG art in combination with our game/faction symbols
- Do not use FFG card backs in combination with our game/faction symbols
- Do not use Null Signal Games card backs in combination with FFG art or game/faction symbols (e.g. using Null Signal Games card fronts on FFG card backs, or vice versa)
2. Please use your own card templates and card backs.
As an adjunct to the above, please create your own card templates and card backs. Do not use Null Signal Games templates or card backs for your alt art card designs.
This is largely to avoid confusing players who may not know the card pool well and might be overwhelmed by having to distinguish between official Null Signal Games cards and custom cards designed by creative players for casual play within their own playgroups.
If you are unable to create your own templates and card backs, there are community resources you can use. For example, these card backs were created by a community member and made free for anyone else to use, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
3. Remember to abide by the EDI guidelines.
We expect all players to work within the Null Signal Games Code of Conduct when engaging with the community in any way, and this includes making alt cards and other media. This is particularly relevant to “cheesecake” and sexualized art that has been a problem in some gaming communities. Null Signal Games is an inclusive organization, and we do not wish our assets to be used in any alt art cards or media that do not conform to the standards of our Code of Conduct.
4. Always respect third-party IPs.
Please respect other parties’ intellectual property when making alt art cards and media. For example, do not create custom cards featuring the likenesses of copyrighted characters on the card art.
5. Don’t use the Null Signal Games logo on your cards.
Please do not use the Null Signal Games logo on your alt art cards. The Null Signal Games logo is the marker of official Null Signal Games cards used in Null Signal Games game formats. Again, this is to help newer players learn the card pool.
6. Never reword legal notices.
Null Signal Games’s legal notices have been worded in very specific ways to protect us as an organization. Please do not remove them or reword them.
7. Be careful not to use sponsors that could harm Null Signal Games (follow EDI guidelines).
Please practice safe sponsorship. Our Equality and Diversity guidelines and our Code of Conduct should apply to any sponsors you work with while making Netrunner or Null Signal Games-adjacent content.
8. Let people know where the assets came from.
Please credit Null Signal Games for the assets you use. This doesn’t need to be on the actual item or media if it’s not reasonable for it to be, but can be, for example, in the notes for a YouTube video, or on your online shop.
9. Follow the law in your jurisdiction.
Any media you make is your own, so you are solely responsible for making sure that your creations do not violate the laws of your country or region. Where these laws may conflict with Null Signal Games guidelines, please follow the law for your own protection.
10. Do not bring us into legal disrepute.
Your creations are your own legal responsibility. Please do not involve Null Signal Games in any legal disputes you may be involved in.
That’s it in a nutshell, but please review the in-depth Terms and Conditions, as well as the CC BY-ND 4.0 license to ensure that you fully understand your legal rights and obligations while using these assets!
Terms and Conditions
In order to ensure that these assets are used in a way that does not portray Null Signal Games, our game, or its community in a bad light, as well as to protect Null Signal Games from any legal liability, use of these assets is subject to the following terms and conditions:
1. The visual assets on this page are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-ND 4.0). This means that you are free to download and use them in any medium or format you want (alternate art cards, artwork, t-shirts, etc), and you may distribute your work and even offer it for sale. Your rights and obligations under this license are summarised below, but it is recommended that you read the full text of the license. There are a number of detailed guides for licensees written in non-legalistic language on the Creative Commons website, and if you have any questions those guides do not resolve, we encourage you to contact Null Signal Games.
1. a. You must provide attribution to Null Signal Games and link to the license (if possible), but not in any way that suggests that Null Signal Games endorses you or your use of our assets. For example, an alternate art card may include “Game symbols by Null Signal Games CC BY-ND 4.0.” It is not necessary to include this attribution on the medium itself if it is not reasonable to do so. For instance, a video in which you used our assets may include attribution at the end of the video itself, or it may include it in the video description on YouTube. A t-shirt or a set of game tokens might include it on the listing page on the website you are offering it for sale on, rather than on the item itself. You must also indicate if any modifications were made (though see below on derivative work). Further guidance on attribution can be found here, in the Creative Commons wiki.
1. b. You may not distribute derivative work (remixes) of these assets. What exactly constitutes a derivative is a fine line. A minor modification (such as recoloring a faction symbol) would not constitute a derivative work. Using our glyphs and symbols on an alternate art card would not constitute a derivative work. Editing these symbols in a more substantial way, to create a new symbol based on the original, does constitute a derivative work, and you are not allowed to distribute it. It is recommended that you contact Null Signal Games for guidance if in any doubt.
2. Use of these assets is also subject to your agreement to comply with the guidelines stated within the Null Signal Games Code of Conduct. In particular, but not exclusively, we do not wish for our assets to be used in combination with:
- Sexualised language or imagery;
- Hate speech, or imagery associated with hate groups;
- Derogatory language or slurs targeted at any groups or individuals;
- Language or imagery attacking particular choices of cards/playstyles/strategies;
- Any of the above presented as “ironic” or “joking”.
Please see the top of this document for more detailed guidance on how to use these assets.
Use of the above in combination with Null Signal Games’s assets will result in Null Signal Games requesting removal of attribution, as detailed in Section 3 (a) (3) of the CC BY-ND 4.0 License.
3. Finally, you also agree not to use these assets in a way which will violate the copyrights and/or trademarks of any third parties, whether they are persons, corporations, or other entities. This means that you must own the rights to all other assets used in combination with our assets. Failure to comply with this will result in Null Signal Games requesting removal of attribution, as detailed in Section 3 (a) (3) of the CC BY-ND 4.0 License.
4. Please note that the license extends only to the assets included in this pack, and does not include other Null Signal Games art assets (such as artwork, card frames, or card backs). Card art, frames, and card backs are unavailable for use by the public, and their use constitutes a violation of Null Signal Games’s intellectual property rights and those of the artists commissioned by Null Signal Games. Use of Null Signal Games card art, frames, or card backs in combination with our licensed assets is a violation of these terms and conditions as detailed in Part 3 above.
