Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!know!sdd.hp.com!ucsd!sdcc6!beowulf!rose From: rose@beowulf.ucsd.edu (Dan Rose) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games Subject: Re: Risk Message-ID: Date: 17 Nov 90 20:30:13 GMT References: <969@inews.intel.com> <17105@hydra.gatech.EDU> <15713@reed.UUCP> <1990Nov16.223939.26310@midway.uchicago.edu> Sender: news@sdcc6.ucsd.edu Lines: 34 Nntp-Posting-Host: beowulf.ucsd.edu francis@arthur.uchicago.edu (Francis Stracke) writes: >In article <15713@reed.UUCP> orpheus@reed.UUCP (Aaron Semplers) writes: >> No one can deny that Risk belongs to Parker Brothers. It would be >>interesting to see legislation passed that made copyright and trademark >>nothing more than a "first shot at it" sort of thing. >That's how it works in the music industry! The original composer has >the right to decide who first records/markets his song (i.e., if I write >a song, & show it to somebody, they can't record it & market it before >I do. There seems to be some confusion here. According to copyright law (which applies to any work that can be "fixed in a tangible medium of expression," including music, lyrics, and many aspects of games), the "author" has the sole right to decide if, when, and how his/her work can be reproduced. If Parker Brothers is the owner of one or more copyrights for Risk (probably for the board, the appearance of the cards and pieces, and the rules), they are under no obligation to license it to anyone. On the other hand, they would have trouble stopping anyone from marketing a game with similar ideas but a different division of territories and a different name. Think of all the clones you see after a really successful book or movie comes out. As far as their trademark goes, I imagine they could sue anyone who tried to use the name, pass off a game as being connected with Risk, or generally corrupted the value of the name (e.g. X-rated Risk, whatever that would be). Dan Rose UCSD -- Dan Rose {ucbvax,decvax,akgua,dcdwest}!sdcsvax!beowulf!rose.uucp UC San Diego rose%cs@ucsd.edu