Originality is important to the success and growth of the Fortnite Creative ecosystem. A thriving ecosystem has a wide diversity of games for users to engage with and rewards Developers for thinking outside of the box and developing original ideas. As a Developer, you can spend weeks — even months! — carefully planning and building unique experiences for Discover. This includes promotional materials and island names.
For this reason, the Fortnite Developer Rules state in section 1.6 that Developers must design original promotional assets and not duplicate versions of someone else’s promotional materials. The Be Original rule is meant to encourage novel creation and reward developers who create unique promotional assets.
The Creator Portal has a support feature for reporting unoriginal promotional assets. You can report the duplication of:
Titles
Thumbnails
Descriptions
Island Tags available in the publishing workflow are considered game genres, and titles using the wording of Island Tags can be duplicated. There may also be game genres that are not included in the tag list such as Dungeon Crawler, Boss Fight, and so on. Titles containing game genres cannot be considered original content.
You cannot report a Developer for creating an island of the same game genre, using the same gameplay featured in your island, or for using the same island template as you.
Learn more about creating your own original promotional materials in Promoting Your Fortnite Creative Island.
Understanding Unoriginal Promotional Assets
Unoriginal Promotional Assets include:
Duplicating the title of another Developer's original island.
Duplicating the island description of another Developer's island.
Duplicating another Developer's original thumbnail.
For example, Team Pixel Elite has a published island called Jewel Heist Life. If I create an island and title it Jewel Heist Life, I’ve created unoriginal content by duplicating the island title.
Similarity: There must be sufficient similarity between your asset(s) and those of the Developer you're reporting.
First to publish: You must have been the first Developer to publish the reported assets in the Fortnite ecosystem.
Fortnite-native content / assets: The assets (primarily the thumbnail) must not appear to have originated outside the Fortnite ecosystem (for example, the thumbnail doesn’t contain Intellectual Property that is very obviously from another gaming or content ecosystem).
Unoriginal promotional asset report: A form to report unoriginal content through the Creator Portal.
Reporting unoriginal promotional assets:
Only a team owner or individual Developer can submit an unoriginal promotional asset report.
You can only report unoriginal promotional assets that are similar to your own work. You cannot create an unoriginal promotional asset report on behalf of another Developer.
You can only report assets that are similar to metadata currently live on your island.
You can only report unoriginal promotional assets on one island at a time. If you find other islands that are using your promotional assets, you will need to submit a separate report for each island.
Submitting Developer: The developer who submits an unoriginal promotional assets report.
Reported Developer: The developer who is the subject of an unoriginal promotional assets report.
Confirmed unoriginal promotional asset case:
Epic Game’s moderation team investigates the report and confirms that duplication of a Developer's promotional materials has taken place.
Enforcement action is taken on promotional materials the moderation team deems unoriginal.
Enforcement actions: When a reported Developer is found to have used another developer's promotional materials, those assets will be removed from their island.
Sanctions: Confirmed reports of unoriginal promotional assets can result in monetization bans, publishing bans, and after multiple repeat offenses, even Developer account termination.
How to Report Unoriginal Promotional Assets
Make sure to take note of the island code and all unoriginal promotional assets, as you’ll need them to submit an unoriginal promotional assets report. You must fill out the form completely to successfully lodge a complaint.
Log into your Creator Portal to begin the unoriginal promotional assets report.
Select Support from the main menu.
The Support page opens with three different options.
Click the Report Unoriginal Promotional Assets button on the Report Unoriginal Promotional Assets tile.
If the Report button is not available, it's because you are not eligible to submit reports for any of your islands. Inform the Publisher, Administrator, or Owner on your team.
Select the island from which the unoriginal assets were copied in the Your Island dropdown menu. This automatically adds your island’s code to the field.
Enter the island code of the offending island in the Island Code Using Your Promotional Assets field.
Select all assets that you wish to report.
Provide a brief description of how your assets were used in the island you're reporting.
Click Submit Report when you’re finished. You’ll receive a confirmation email when the report has been filed.
When an unoriginal promotional assets report is submitted, a moderation ticket is created.
You will then receive an email informing you whether the complaint has been resolved in your favor and the unoriginal assets removed, or that no action was taken if no actionable violation of the rules was found.
To learn more about the reported developer process, refer to the Reported Developers section below.
Reporting Thumbnails and A/B Testing
It’s possible the unoriginal thumbnail is currently engaged in A/B thumbnail testing. If that is the case, the reporting process provides a way to report the proper thumbnail from the testing group. Before you can submit your report, you are required to identify which of the reported developer's assets are most duplicative of your assets.
On the form, indicate the reported content is a thumbnail. The reported developer's thumbnails from their A/B test appear under the checked thumbnail.
Check thumbnail Select which of the reported developer's thumbnails is most similar to your thumbnail asset.
Select a thumbnail. Click Submit Report to send your report for review.
Reporting Criteria
The following are criteria for submitting a valid unoriginal promotional assets report:
You must be the first Developer to publish the reported promotional materials in the Fortnite Ecosystem.
There must be sufficient similarity between your promotional materials and the reported developer's promotional materials. Promotional materials that are not an exact match must have detailed information to support the claim of unoriginality. (See Best Practices below for more information.)
Reported promotional materials must be Fortnite-native assets, meaning the promotional materials were created in the Fortnite Ecosystem, or for the Fortnite Ecosystem. Duplicative promotional materials for other gaming and content ecosystems should be reported using the copyright takedown request process.
You cannot report a Developer for creating an island of the same game genre, using the same gameplay featured in your island or for using the same island template as you.
Our Trust and Safety team will compare your assets and the reported developer's assets side-by-side and assess the validity of the report based on these criteria.
Best Practices
Following are recommended guidelines to help you fill out the report.
If you discover that your work has been duplicated, search the reported developer's island page to see how much of your promotional material has been duplicated.
Make sure to thoroughly detail how your promotional material has been used.
When providing a description of the duplication, stick to the facts. Do not add more information than is necessary for the report.
Reported Developers
If your island is reported for unoriginal promotional assets, you'll be contacted through email after the moderation team has confirmed the validity of the report. The email will detail which promotional materials were reported, what actions were taken, and next steps you can take (including the option to appeal the decision).
A banner will appear on the island’s Release page informing you that the promotional material for your island has been edited. In most cases, you will be given the opportunity to fix any unoriginal assets and re-submit the island for moderation.
If either A/B tested thumbnail of a reported Developer are identified as unoriginal content, both thumbnails are removed from the developer's island promotion. This counts as a single strike
If you are found to have used another Creator’s promotional material, those assets will be removed, and you will need to replace them with original assets and re-submit for publishing.
Unoriginal Promotional Asset Enforcement
If your island is reported for unoriginal promotional assets and the report is validated by moderators, there are a series of escalating enforcement actions that follow.
To review the type of escalations, refer to the Understanding Unoriginal Promotional Assets section.
If you are repeatedly reported for unoriginal promotional assets, you may also experience the following sanctions:
Temporary publishing bans.
Increased monetization bans.
Account termination for multiple repeated offenses.
How to Handle an Unoriginal Promotional Asset Strike
An unoriginal promotional asset strike refers to the punitive actions for using another Developer's published text and images to advertise your island in Discover and on your island page.
You must create new promotional materials and resubmit your island for publication after an unoriginal promotional asset strike.
Take time to create new videos and images, and brainstorm new ways to think about and describe the island’s gameplay.
Think about the ways your island stands out, and use the differences as inspiration for your island’s new promotional materials.
Once you have created new, original promotional materials:
Go to the project’s Release page and click the Create New Release button to go through the publishing process again.
Submit the new promotional materials and make sure not to repeat the mistakes that got flagged.
You'll receive an approval message on your Release page when your update is approved.
If you believe that your island has been reported incorrectly for use of unoriginal promotional assets, you can appeal the decision by responding to the email informing you of the report. Be sure to explain your reason for appealing in your response.