Subject: Re: [stella] Tetris copyright?!!! From: Pete Holland <petehollandjr@xxxxxxxxx> Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 14:00:14 -0800 (PST) |
Herewith is some things from my file on copyright and video games. This is by no means definitive, but some interesting things. 1) As I recall, around 1983 (give me a break, I was 12 at the time), Namco sued Magnavox over the game K.C.Munchkin for the Odyssey 2 game system. They felt that the game was too simillar and was copyright infringement. The court case was successful, and Magnavox had to cease production of the game (fat lot of good it did, the cartridge is listed as common in lists). I never heard such a case being filed against other obvious Pac-Man clones by major companies. I recall one game that had a slightly diffent maze, and you moved a frog around the maze. I also recall the grocery store in my area having what the kids called "Chinese Pac-Man". It wasn't Chinese, it was a bootleg version modified with a slightly different maze and play features that didn't work right (the ghosts would flash twice before returning to normal). I recall this game mentioned in Electonic Games magazine, so it was national, and I never heard of a lawsuit or anything against these illegal modifications. 2) About three years ago, Taito released a game called "Fighter's Destiny." The response was a modicum of interest from fighting game fans (such as myself) and a lawsuit from Capcom, who felt that the control layout and graphic style was too close to the almighty "Street Fighter II" franchise. A U.S. court threw the case out, saying that if they ruled in Capcom's favor, they would be giving intellectual rights to Capcom for all fighting games, since derivations could be argued to stem from whatever game came out first (good news for the makers of Karate Champ in the 80's). Copyrights are an interesting area (take it from me. I'm an aspiring writer, and have had to deal with copyright problems). A lot of times, it comes down to derivations are allowed, as long as it isn't too close. My dad has "Dilbert's Desktop Games" for his IBM, and it features, among other things, a "Space Invaders" rip-off. That would also mean that every football game is a rip-off of every other. For God's sake, how many Wolfenstein clones are there (Doom and Quake are from the same company!)? As much as it pains me to say it, it comes down to money. "It's A Wonderful Life" was public domain and should have stayed that way, but Republic got the copyright back. Congress here in the U.S. recently granted Disney Productions a 20-year copyright extension, since Mickey Mouse was about to become public domain under the law, the only time I know of them doing such. I'm still not sure how the Tarzan stories are still covered under copyright, but they are, owned by Edgar Rice Burrow's estate. It's a confusing area, but I have a friend who knows a lot about copyright. Any questions, I'll forward them to him if you want. There is a way to see if this "Tetris Corporation" is legit. Most businesses have to register in their state of operation and get a business license. Small businesses, like comic publishers, can dodge until they become too big, but if you have to, say, rent a storefront, you have to register. If this place is buying up the rights to make a profit and not as a private collector, it should be registered in one of our fifty states. Besides, Tetris is a Russian creation. That is the first copyright. How did they get that, and the rights in other countries? While I still recommend checking it out, this doesn't sound on the up-and-up to me. _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.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 -> |
---|---|---|
[stella] Tetris copyright?!!!, woloch.kurt. :E2-RB. | Thread | Re: [stella] Tetris copyright?!!!, Robin Harbron |
[stella] Tetris copyright?!!!, woloch.kurt. :E2-RB. | Date | Re: [stella] Tetris copyright?!!!, Ruffin Bailey |
Month |