Re: New game added to the wiki: Piecepack Isle

["sshum2003" <sshum2003@...>]

> On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 1:29 AM, sshum2003 <sshum2003@...> wrote:
> > sshum2003:  Meaningless and doesn't comply with copyright law.  That comes from the Copyright Office website but doesn't refect copyright law.

Jorge Arroyo <trozo@...> wrote:
>
> Copyright only covers the actual text used to write the rules of a
> game and the actual art on the components, but not the mechanics
> themselves. See: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl108.html
>
sshum2003: This is not this is the exact page of the Copyright Office website I was talking about.  It leads some how to people confusing game mechanics with a whole game.  Game mechanics are moving pieces, rolling dice, etc. which have been around for centuries.  No one can claim any type of IP ownership over these mechanics.  Game mechanics are the equivialent of "words" to the whole game are to "articles".  No one can claim copyright over words; any one can claim copyright over an article they wrote.  Otherwise games are not copyrightable at all.

Jorge Arroyo <trozo@...> wrote:

So you're free to make a game based on another game as long as you
> write your own set of rules and don't use any graphics from the
> original. You'll then own the copyright for the text in your rules.
> You won't own the game mechanics unless you patent those...

sshum2003:  From Circular 1 <http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf>
"Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:
? To reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords;
? To prepare derivative works based upon the work;" <etc.>

He is preparing a derivative work, so he will only have copyright over the porting necessary to make it work with a piecepack.  The original copyright owner may ask him to withdrawal the piecepack port as it is a derivative.

Jorge Arroyo <trozo@...> wrote:
> Else about half of the games in the market today could be called
> copyright violations as most of the mechanics used are derived from
> older ones... And even when a mechanic is patented (see tapping in
> Magic) it didn't prevent it from being used in many other games...

sshum2003: some games like Monopoly (although there are trademark issues), chess and checker are in the public domain.  And some derived games are produced by the orignal copyright holder or produced under license.

Jorge Arroyo <trozo@...> wrote:
> So, Roger, as long as you wrote your own rules without copying
> anything from the original game, don't worry. Put your (c) in your
> rules, say the game is based on Forbidden Island and use any CC
> license you want :) You're doing nothing wrong, as you're basically
> giving the original game a new way to gain exposure. If someone
> really likes it on the piecepack, they may even buy the original game for the nicer components :)

sshum2003: Recongize the copyright of Forbidden Island and the reason for the port "to give it exposure, etc." and that you will remove if asked by them.