Epic planning audit to combat copyright infringement on Unreal Marketplace

Epic Games is clamping down on the sale of copyright-infringing assets on the Unreal Engine Marketplace. 

Some have noticed the engine maker stepping up its game in recent weeks, with one user tweeting that "guns that look like actual guns aren't allowed on the UE4 Marketplace anymore."

In an attempt to clarify its apparent change of heart, Epic took to the Unreal forums to explain why it's doubled its efforts in recent times, revealing it has recently acquired "additional resources" that makes spotting infringing items easier. 

"Our team conducts a manual review of all content submitted to the Marketplace in order to ensure that assets comply with guidelines and standards," explained the company's community manager, Amanda Bott. 

"While we have always rejected content that is found to infringe on copyright or trademark, over the past few months the Marketplace has been armed with more resources for content review. As a result, we have renewed our focus on upholding these stated guidelines.

"With wait times in a better place now, we are planning to audit assets that may be in violation of copyright and trademark policy."

That audit will take place over the next few months, during which time sellers will be notified directly if any of their assets are found to be in violation of the marketplace's terms. After being notified, they'll have a set period of time to modify their assets before they're pulled for good. 

You can hear more about the upcoming audit by reading the full FAQ over on the Unreal forums.