The author of Minecraft’s “End Poem,” which appears after players slay the Ender Dragon and “finish” the game, claims Microsoft doesn’t own the rights to it. For that reason, he has placed the text in the public domain.
According to the author, Julian Gough, although he received 20,000 euros for his poetic contribution, he never signed a contract. Mojang would sent him a contract in 2011, after he had already received the money, but he refused to sign it. When Microsoft bought the game a few years later, he was again asked to sign the contract, but again he refused.
Last December he decided, in their own words after much deliberation, to give away his copyright and put “the end of Minecraft” in the public domain. According to him, people can now use the 1542-word text to their heart’s content for whatever they want; they get to print it on T-shirts, use it in school plays, or even write it on the side of their van.
Microsoft has not commented on this story at the time of writing, so the extent to which Gough is telling the full truth is hard to say. So take it with a grain of salt.
The ‘End Poem’ appears during the credits after players in the area called ‘The End’ defeat the Ender Dragon. The poem consists of a conversation between two unknown speakers, who reflect on the player’s achievements and his relationship with the rest of the universe.