ftsjmd@ncsu.UUCP (Mike Davis) (07/27/85)
<> I am wondering how it is possible to run Diplomacy by mail when there is a copyrighted board game. Does Avalon Hill sanction this or is the pbm medium significantly different from the board game so as to allow this without copyright infringement? I remember reading something in a computer magazine about the copyright laws that shocked me somewhat. It said, for example, that a programmer could buy a copy of VisiCalc and examine how it works by using it and then legally write a program that mimics (sp?) VisiCalc and sell it, as long as he wrote this program without examining VisiCalc's code. I have plenty of speculation of how this might apply to Diplomacy by mail, but what I would like is answers from people who either know the copyright laws and how they might apply here, or who know how they do apply here. Respond by E-mail since I am an infrequent reader of this news group. Thanks in advance Mike Davis
electrohome@watcgl.UUCP (electrohome) (07/28/85)
Why does this issue keep cropping up? It was an issue on Compuserve a few months ago, also. I really fail to see where the infringement on copyright laws comes into play since: a) all players own the game; we all must, since it would be impossible to play the game without it. I have never seen a copy of the rules posted in this newsgroup or any other. Without the rules, how can you possibly hope to do anything!?! The only way that you could play without a copy of the game would be to photocopy a copy of the rules and the game map from a friend who has the game. But if you're going to do that, you're going to do it whether the games in net.games.pbm are there or not. Besides, I can't imagine playing Diplomacy without the convenience of a large mapboard and litle wooden blocks to show me what my situation is. b) It provides an opportunity for players to actually *use* their games on a regular basis. Just try to get 6 other wargaming friends together. That has never been a possibility for me. My only experience has been playing in 2 pbem games, moderating another, and playing about 4 two-, three-, and four-player games. c) It gives AH exposure that is better than all of the advertising and display space that they could buy! If I had to depend on only playing ftf games, I wouldn't have bought the game in the first place! d) AH actually sells PBM kits for many of their games. Therefore, they don't think that there is any problem with the issue of playing by mail. It seems to me that AH only benefits from this. What do you think? --- Carlo Sgro ...![ihnp4||decvax||allegra||clyde||utzoo]!watmath!watcgl!electro!carlo Computer Graphics Division Electrohome Canada Kitchener, Ontario