-----Original Message-----
From: Pete Holland <petehollandjr@xxxxxxxxx>
To: stella@xxxxxxxxxxx <stella@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wednesday, February 09, 2000 4:23 PM
Subject: Re: [stella] Bad new... Hasbro sues clones
>--- 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.
Unless Hasbro owns the home computer distribution rights, or whatever it is
Hasbro feels these products are infringing. In that case it's perfectly
within their rights to pursue legal action.
>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.
Warner Atari almost successfully stopped Sierra/On-Line from distributing
Jawbreaker, a blatant Pac-Man clone. Instead they were forced to change the
maze and character graphics.
>Otherwise, flight sim makers are sunk.
Apple and oranges. A flight sim (or any true sim) is based on reality, and
you can't copyright reality (well, not military-hardware reality anyway,
even though NovaLogic tried to a couple years ago).
>Two: Anytime Hasbro/Atari wants to dim its halo, fine
>by me. Anyone play "Kangaroo"? Anybody notice a
>passing resemblence to "Donkey Kong?"
No. But I did notice a similarity to Popeye. Anyway they're both inspired
by the original platform game, "Space Panic".
>How about "Return Of The Jedi" in the arcades and having
>"Zaxxon" flashbacks?
Only as far as the view angle was concerned. A choice of perspective does
not a copyright make.
>And "Alien Vs. Predator" was cool, but it was still a "Doom" clone.
I hate to break it to ya Cletus, but first-person corridor shooters were
around for a long time before Doom, and even before Wolfenstein 3D (which
AvP more closely resembles).
>Hasbro/Atari is just as guilty as the company it is suing.
Not really, no.
Please to be posting more amusing misinformations!
--
Clay Halliwell | ATARI XL/XE DO + THE
clay.FAKEMEAT.h@xxxxxxx | 8 - B I T S --------
e.halliwell@xxxxxxxxx | /////////// M A T H
Keeper of the Atari Jaguar Cheats and Codes FAQ. Request your copy today!
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http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/ "Where do you want to play Atari today?"
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