gmp@rayssd.ray.com (Gregory M. Paris) (08/17/88)
In article <3309@crash.cts.com> andym@crash.CTS.COM (Andy Micone) writes: > A computer game version of a copyrighted board game is a derivative work, > and you cannot produce and distribute a computer game version of RISK > without risking legal action against you. By having a copyright, Parker > Brothers has exclusive rights to all derivative works of the board game. > This means they are the sole party who has the rights to authorize RISK > the computer game, RISK the novel, RISK the movie, RISK the lunchbox, etc. > They can sell any portion of these rights as they choose, but they retain > all rights to any form of derivative work that might come from their > games. > If you were to make a version of RISK for the computer and release it into > the public domain you still risk severe civil damages. Even though you might > not make any money off the game, you never had the right to release > the computer game rights for RISK into the public domain (only parker > borthers has that right). In this case the copyright law authorizes that > you can be liable for up to $20,000 statuatory damages, and that you can > still be liable for other damages if they can prove they have lost money > due to the fact you put out a game in the public domain that effectively > blocked their efforts to put a game out into the market. The legal fees > to you go without saying. Sorry for so much included text, but I had wondered about this when the computer version of Yahtzee was posted to comp.sources.games a while back. It would seem to me that the author (and distributor?) of that game would be in the same boat as the hypothetical RISK computer-gamer mentioned above. True? .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. -- Greg Paris <gmp@rayssd.ray.com> {decuac,gatech,necntc,sun,uiucdcs,ukma}!rayssd!gmp Take it from me, CUBEX and its friends don't cheat.