Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!husc6!cca!mirror!xanth!kent From: kent@xanth.UUCP (Kent Paul Dolan) Newsgroups: comp.sources.bugs,comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: ogre wont compile Message-ID: <1886@xanth.UUCP> Date: Fri, 7-Aug-87 21:50:38 EDT Article-I.D.: xanth.1886 Posted: Fri Aug 7 21:50:38 1987 Date-Received: Sun, 9-Aug-87 10:49:23 EDT References: <122@galaxy> <456@sugar.UUCP> <349@mcdsun.UUCP> Reply-To: kent@xanth.UUCP (Kent Paul Dolan) Distribution: na Organization: Old Dominion University, Norfolk Va. Lines: 51 Summary: The game design is copyrightable Xref: mnetor comp.sources.bugs:159 comp.sys.amiga:7241 In article <349@mcdsun.UUCP> fnf@mcdsun.UUCP (Fred Fish) writes: >In article <456@sugar.UUCP> peter@sugar.UUCP (Peter da Silva) writes: >>Beware... the game "OGRE" is copyrighted by Steve Jackson games. Steve >>Jackson is, I am given to understand, a litigious fella. That means he's >>heavily into taking vigorous legal action to defend his rights. > >I am slightly confused here, are you saying: > > (1) The name "OGRE" is a trademark (registered or not) of > Steve Jackson games. It's not possible to my knowledge > to copyright a single word. > > (2) Steve Jackson games distributes a copyrighted work that > is similar to but not derived from (or vice versa) the > "ogre" game recently distributed over the net. > > (3) Steve Jackon games owns the copyright to the "ogre" game > distributed over the net. > > (4) Something other than (1), (2), or (3) above... > >-Fred >-- >= Drug tests; just say *NO*! >= Fred Fish Motorola Computer Division, 3013 S 52nd St, Tempe, Az 85282 USA >= seismo!noao!mcdsun!fnf (602) 438-3614 Not claiming to be an authority, but my understanding is that (4) The _design_ of a game (rules, board layout, etc.) is copyrightable. Steve Jackson had a rather ugly experience when splitting with Microgames (or whatever), with both sides claiming ownership of the materials he developed and they sold. This has rather sensitized him to the subject of copyright infringement. He is a very nice guy otherwise, and I have corresponded with him over the net [ From: it says on one of the notes from him that I saved]. If you are interested in his opinions on netogre, drop him an email line. I was disappointed in all this, because I was trying to find a current source of an old favorite of mine developed by Steve, called Rivits. This was one of those great "zip-loc bag games", and I played it a lot while doing ocean survey work along the equator. It turns out this was one of the games to which both sides had a good enough claim that neither dared the legal hassle of bringing it out in defiance of the other, so there is no current source. It would have made a great Amiga game, something like Final Conflict for the Apple ][+, but I lost the copy I had, and there are none to be found. Kent, the man from xanth.