They Want It in Code? Then It Comes with a License
Why Your IP Should Never Be Free, Not for Minis, Not for VTTs, Not for Software
The moment your intellectual property gains traction, the vultures start to circle. Some come in the form of artists asking to sculpt your factions. Others are software devs offering to “help the community” by making a character builder or VTT module. You’ll hear the same song:
“I love your work, do you mind if I make something for it?”
What they’re really saying is:
“Can I commercialize your IP without paying you for it?”
Not out of malice. Out of ignorance.
These creators, artists, coders, even small studios, were trained by the gig economy, not by contracts. They've never been shown what real IP structure looks like. And so, you’re forced into the position of drawing a line they were never taught to see.
Let’s make that line unmistakable.
A Gig Is a Transaction. A License Is a Business Relationship.
There are only two legitimate ways to interact with your IP.
In the first, you hire someone to do labor for you. You pay them, and you own the result. This is the gig model, a cover artist, a rules formatter, a layout designer. They hand you a file, you hand them money. Simple. Clean. Transactional.
But when someone wants to use your setting, your expression of mechanics, your characters, your factions, when they want to profit from the public appeal of your work, that is not a gig. That is a license. And a license must be earned.
Not with compliments.
Not with exposure.
With consideration, the legal term for value exchanged in a binding contract.
If they’re not paying a license fee, they are not licensing your IP. They are trespassing on it.
This Applies to Every Medium
This principle is not limited to physical products. It doesn’t stop with miniatures.
It applies to virtual tabletops, companion apps, character builders, PDF utilities, and any software or platform that uses your rules, names, systems, or settings. If they want to put your world into code, your name into a UI, or your rules into a database, they are building on your work.
And if they want to do that legally, they need your permission, and they need to pay for it.
Some will argue that they’re “just helping” or that “it’s free anyway.” But there is no “just” when it comes to IP. It doesn’t matter if it’s free to the user. If the software is commercial, if the platform is monetized, or if they’re building a brand on top of yours, they are deriving value from your property.
And value derived must be value returned.
You Are Not a Vending Machine
Many of these developers, modelers, and creators are good people. That’s not in question. What is in question is whether they respect the structure that sustains a publishing enterprise. And most don’t, because no one has taught them to.
That’s where you come in.
When someone wants to produce sculpts of your factions for sale, you don’t pay them. They pay you. You license them your IP under strict terms, scope, exclusivity, duration, and you collect royalties or license fees accordingly.
When someone wants to make a Foundry module of your rules, you don’t treat it like a favor. You treat it like a software deployment agreement. You own the content. They want access. That access must be bought, and the usage must be defined.
There is no freeload clause in copyright law.
Consideration Is the Law, Not a Favor
Contracts require more than mutual agreement. They require consideration, an exchange of value that makes the deal binding. That can be a one-time fee, a recurring royalty, or a minimum revenue guarantee. But there must be something.
A “zero dollar” license is legally vulnerable. A “handshake deal” is meaningless. And a “passion project” that turns into a Patreon subscription is IP theft with good intentions.
If you’re a publisher, and you’re not enforcing licenses, you’re not protecting your brand. You’re inviting it to be diluted, distorted, and eventually co-opted.
What This Means for Gig Workers
If you're an artist, sculptor, coder, or small developer hoping to work with a publisher's IP, licensing is not a gate. It is a ladder. You're not being shut out. You’re being offered the structure of legitimacy.
When you operate under a license, you're not just doing piecemeal work. You're positioning yourself as the exclusive source of minis, VTT modules, or tools tied to a brand with an existing audience. That creates built-in demand. You’re no longer hustling commissions. You’re producing authorized content with real commercial upside.
Owning a business entity, even a small LLC or sole proprietorship, signals to publishers that you're not just another gig worker. It shows you understand contracts, invoicing, liability, and responsibility. This makes it easier to negotiate licenses, secure deals, and be taken seriously as a professional partner rather than a hobbyist seeking a favor.
But this only works if you approach the opportunity with professionalism. That means bringing a clear proposal. It means understanding you’re working with someone else’s intellectual property, not your own. And yes, it means paying something, whether an upfront license fee, a royalty share, or both.
If you want to build a sustainable career, this is the pivot point. You move from service worker to stakeholder. From hired help to strategic partner.
And the ones who make that leap? They don’t chase gigs.
They build businesses.
Final Thought
The moment your work leaves your hard drive and enters the world, people will want to build on it. Some will ask. Some won’t. Some will flatter. Others will guilt. But all of them, if they want to touch your IP, must be told the same thing:
You want it in resin? You pay a license.
You want it in code? You pay a license.
You want to ride my brand? You sign the contract.
This isn’t ego. It’s infrastructure.
Because you’re not just building a book.
You’re building an ecosystem.
And the gate to the garden stays locked to anyone who refuses to tend the soil.