 When you sign up to play Minecraft, you're agreeing to abide by the terms of use as laid out on the game's website at www.minecraft.com slash terms. Even if you're just playing the browser version, you are bound by these terms of use. But have you honestly ever read them? In the next three minutes I'm going to explain what you agreed to when you signed up to play one of the world's greatest games. The good news is that if you're just playing Minecraft and not hacking the game code, producing any add-ons or making any media using footage and sound from the game, then the only thing you need to worry about is the one major rule. So what's the one major rule? Well the good people at Mojang don't want you to download and redistribute the game. That's it. So no posting of the download on forums or bulletin boards. No zipping the game files to send to your mate on Skype and no reselling the game gift codes. That's it. They just want people to do the right thing and download the software from them and their side alone. But what about the people who are producing stuff for the game and with its assets? Where do they stand? And where do the people who use those fan-produced add-ons stand? Are they in breach of the terms of use? We all know that one of the best things about Minecraft is the ability to use and create hacks, modifications, media and games using the Minecraft engine and its assets. But is all that stuff you're producing legal? And is it legal to use those fan-created add-ons? And what about if you want to make some money from the stuff you're making? The good news is that most of the stuff being produced and distributed for Minecraft is legal so don't freak out. The awesome people at Mojang have got your back. They, like you, love the read-write capabilities of the worldwide web and encourage their users to hack, modify and create add-ons and media from their game. They just have a few rules about how you present and distribute the stuff you make and a few restrictions on what stuff you can make money from. So as well as obeying the one major rule, people making stuff for and with Minecraft official assets need to pay attention to the what you can do section in the terms of use document. You also need to read the brand and asset usage guidelines. The low-down is that plugins like texture packs and skins are cool because they don't change the source code of the game. Mojang are also cool with people distributing these plugins for free as long as you don't present them as an official Minecraft release. If you want to modify the source code of the game, that's a different story. Both the server and client software can be modified for personal use but not for distribution at all. So you can't make any cash out of those mods either. As far as producing videos and screenshots from the game, it's an all-you-can-eat buffet. Mojang are cool with you taking and distributing screenshots and images from in-game play and you're welcome to produce video featuring game images and sound. You can even stick ads on them to earn some money. The only thing the guys at Mojang ask is that you don't present them as official Minecraft productions. So a video entitled Check out the Roller Coaster I made in Minecraft is cool but check out the official Minecraft roller coaster is not. You get the picture. Of course as for all these types of documents, the lawyers over at Minecraft HQ retain the right to change the terms of use at any time they like. The only promise they make is that you have a right to privacy and the removal of your information from their database at any time. Happy mining.