I am currently developing a PCVR application using Cesium for Unreal that renders Google Photorealistic 3D Tiles to let users explore cityscapes.
To monitor what the user is seeing, the VR view is also mirrored onto a desktop PC monitor (spectator screen).
I know that Google has strict on-screen attribution and logo requirements, but having a 2D text overlay (HUD) pinned to the HMD viewport drastically reduces the VR immersion.
I would like to know the best practice or legal boundaries regarding the following implementation ideas:
Can I display the dynamic attribution/logos only on the desktop spectator screen (PC monitor), while keeping the HMD view completely clear of UI?
If that violates Google’s terms, is it permissible to display the attribution inside the VR world? For example, mapping the Cesium credit system to a “smartwatch/wristband menu” on the player’s avatar, or on a 3D virtual monitor placed within the VR space?
Since the data provider attribution changes dynamically based on the viewport, I want to ensure my approach is both technically feasible in Cesium and legally compliant with Google’s Terms of Service.
How are other VR developers tackling this “immersion vs. attribution” problem? Any advice, blueprint suggestions, or official stances would be greatly appreciated.
The guidance we’ve received is that the google maps attribution can be placed in a menu screen. So rather than persistent in the users view, an attribution portion of a persistent menu screen where all attributions are listed would suffice.
Thank you so much for the clear and incredibly helpful response! That is fantastic news for maintaining VR immersion, and it solves a major dilemma for my project.
Just to be absolutely certain and ensure full compliance with the guidance you mentioned:
Does this mean my idea of putting the attribution inside an in-game “smartwatch/wristband menu” or on an in-world virtual tablet—which the user can open or look at whenever they need to, but isn’t locked to their main field of view—would perfectly suffice?
As long as it’s accessible within a persistent menu structure where all attributions are listed, we are legally good to go?
I really appreciate you sharing this official guidance with me. It gives our team the confidence to move forward with a high-immersion UX design.
I completely understand your concern. Following the breadcrumbs here:
Starting ay our Cesium Google logo guidance, here we have our general policy on data attribution. From there Google maps platform policy has some guidance further down on “3rd party renderers” related to your concern.
If it’s infeasible to display data attributions in full due to viewport size constraints, consider adding a hover-over or clickable UI element labeled “Data sources”, which opens within the map window to provide attribution information. Always aim to maintain good cartographic practices.
I believe that your approach with a smart watch is spot on as an alternative for XR environments.
If you would like deeper confirmation aligned with your specific use case, I would suggest reaching out to google support. Hope that helps,
I have one crucial follow-up question regarding the distinction between “Data Attribution (text)” and the “Google Logo (watermark)”.
While I understand that the dynamic data attribution text can be placed inside the smartwatch menu under the “Data sources” policy, does this permission also apply to the Google Logo itself?
In many standard Google Maps implementations, the “Google” logo must remain persistently visible on the screen even if the text attribution is collapsed into a link.
For an XR environment, is it legally acceptable to hide the Google Logo from the main HMD viewport and place it only inside the smartwatch menu alongside the data attributions? Or must the Google Logo remain persistently visible somewhere in the user’s field of view while the 3D tiles are being rendered?
I want to ensure we don’t accidentally violate the Google Logo Guidance. Thank you for your continued support!
Does this mean my idea of putting the attribution inside an in-game “smartwatch/wristband menu” or on an in-world virtual tablet—which the user can open or look at whenever they need to, but isn’t locked to their main field of view—would perfectly suffice?
Yes this is how I understand it.
For an XR environment, is it legally acceptable to hide the Google Logo from the main HMD viewport and place it only inside the smartwatch menu alongside the data attributions? Or must the Google Logo remain persistently visible somewhere in the user’s field of view while the 3D tiles are being rendered?
For the legal confirmation you are looking for, you will really need to reach out to Google. I wish I could help further but I’m unsure about their policies and can’t speak on their behalf. It would help if the documentation on Google was a little more clear.