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From: neil@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Forsyth)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Legal action against STrabble game.
Keywords: Scrabble, STrabble
Message-ID: <3058@odin.cs.hw.ac.uk>
Date: 23 May 91 09:59:50 GMT
References: <1991May22.100201.1231@lut.ac.uk>
Sender: news@cs.hw.ac.uk
Reply-To: neil@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Forsyth)
Organization: Computer Science, Heriot-Watt U., Scotland
Lines: 35

In article <1991May22.100201.1231@lut.ac.uk> M.A.Rahin@lut.ac.uk
(Mohammad A. Rahin) writes:
>Read in the june '91 issue of Atari St User (UK) : The original copyright
>holder of the Scrabble board game (Spears & co. ?) are taking  legal 
>action against a small PD software distribution library in Engalnd for
>distributing Scrabble clone STrabble (by Warwick Allison).
>
>Your views ?

Spears are quite right to pursue this. I believe there is already a licensed
version of Scrabble from a company called Leisure Genius. PD versions would
be direct competition. I did not like the way the ST User article started
with biased comments like how big Spears are and how they make lots of money
and the PD library was a non-profit pauper of an organisation.

Bottom line. Spears have the copyright and if there is a demand for Scrabble
in any shape or form then they have the last word on its distribution.

I have seen a PD version of Monopoly on the ST and have also heard of Parker
Brothers pursuing similar cases of duplication.

For games that are not identical to the original, I suppose the 'look and feel'
laws must creep onto the scene.

>- Rahin


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! Neil Forsyth                      JANET:  neil@uk.ac.hw.cs                 !
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