Subject: Re: [stella] Bad new... Hasbro sues clones From: Pete Holland <petehollandjr@xxxxxxxxx> Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2000 13:28:29 -0800 (PST) |
--- Dan Knapp <dankna@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > NO, dammit, it isn't. The original designers knew > that their employers, not they, would have the rights > to the games. I don't expect any of you to agree > with me, of course. Well, thank God for that, because I don't agree. If my memory serves me correctly, Hasbro/Atari does not own the rights to a couple of the games mentioned in the article. I believe Namco owns the rights to Pac-Man, and if anyone should be suing over a game like Mac-Man (I'm on Windows, so I'm assuming what this game is supposed to be), it's them, not Hasbro/Atari. You're probably thinking, "That may be true, but Atari owns Missile Command, Centipede, and Breakout among others. They have the right to protect their property." Yes, but they didn't establish they wanted to maintain that right. Vectrex had a couple of games for its stand alone unit that were Asteroids copies (the freebie hardwired in the system) or rip-offs with a couple of twists (Bedlam reminded me of Tempest inside-out). I seem to recall a Breakout clone for my old Timex/Sinclair 1000 (anyone else out there still have their first computer?). It has been said that one cannot swing one's dead cat without hitting a game on an early generation system that wasn't a Breakout clone (Microvision had Blockbuster, I think, and the TRS-80 not only had a Breakout clone, but a Warlords rip-off as well). The point I'm trying to make is, these designs and derivations were around long before the phrase "intellectual property" became championed by NBC against David Letterman (and if you get right down to it, how many different kinds of games are there, really?) Pac-Man rip-offs, Q-Bert rip-offs, every game that made any kind of successful splash has been ripped off, and with the exception of K.C. Munchkin, I am unaware of anyone successfully stopping a game from being manufactured because it resembled someone else's product. Otherwise, flight sim makers are sunk. Two other points. One: I do disagree about people designing games for a company and they should expect no reward. I understand that's how the world works, but it strikes me as unfair that they can't share the fruits of their labors and I don't have to like it. Two: Anytime Hasbro/Atari wants to dim its halo, fine by me. Anyone play "Kangaroo"? Anybody notice a passing resemblence to "Donkey Kong?" How about "Return Of The Jedi" in the arcades and having "Zaxxon" flashbacks? And "Alien Vs. Predator" was cool, but it was still a "Doom" clone. Hasbro/Atari is just as guilty as the company it is suing. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com -- Archives (includes files) at http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/archives/ Unsub & more at http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/
Current Thread |
---|
|
<- Previous | Index | Next -> |
---|---|---|
Re: [stella] Bad new... Hasbro sues, Piero Cavina | Thread | Re: [stella] Bad new... Hasbro sues, Clay Halliwell |
Re: [stella] Bad new... Hasbro sues, Dan Knapp | Date | Re: [stella] Bad new... Hasbro sues, Clay Halliwell |
Month |