How is this all legal?

[Preskooldude]

I've seen maps on warcraft 3 that are really interesting. There are DBZ maps, Yu-Gi-Oh TDs, and the like, as well as models that represent TV or game charactors. Every time I've looked at one of these I've wondered: Why exactly are people allowed to copy copyrighted stuff? I mean like... music and stuff has copyright protections that prevent you from using the item in games and such, yet I have found that games like Warcraft are the only things that have been able to bypass this.
So can someone clarify why people are allowed to do so?
Thanks in advance.
Edit: Avatars also

 

[Ryusei]

Why? because A:It's not costing the owners(of the material) any money; and B :They cant make any money from taking a 16yr old to court.

 

[ragingspeedhorn]

I dont think the companys that has the rights for example DBZ really cares about a Wacraft 3 map based on the DBZ universe.

 

[Mecheon]

Its not legal. That simple

Its just that no one gives a damn and the only case you would have in court deals with the MP3s

 

[Xander-]

It gets them free advertising. Why would you complain if someone was giving your company more customers...

 

[Preskooldude]

Wow thanks... I wuz wondering for a bit... time to go crazy on all the stuff I put in my RPG(Some stuff had to be removed 'cause it'll be too big... but n e way thx!!!!)

 

[Mechanical Man]

Well, if you are not using their stuff for making profit, it should be legal.

 

[dark_crusader5]

The biggest fact is that all of these maps and such remain nonprofit. Considering also the Blizzard isn't making these map, but users, one could consider the fan art and I'm sure there's a whole bunch of laws protecting that.

 

[Preskooldude]

wow k thanks again!

 

[BleedsNoMore]

It is legal. Music isn't allowed because record labels don't want people listening to their music for free. They want us to pay for it, the reason we can listen to music free on the radio, is because the radio company bought the rights to allow us to. So using DBZ and Yugioh and whatever the hell else isnt illegal because the map maker isnt profiting from it, nor is the map maker actually distributing that company's product, they're just using the names.