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?
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Carlo Sgro
...![ihnp4||decvax||allegra||clyde||utzoo]!watmath!watcgl!electro!carlo
Computer Graphics Division
Electrohome Canada
Kitchener, Ontario