Re: OGL in an alternate reality (was Re: GSL)

On Jul 7, 2:08 pm, David Klassen <klas...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Jul 7, 10:05 am, David Alex Lamb <dal...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:





MoAtt wrote:
I *do*, however, feel like they should be able to
copyright their particular rules system.  If what you guys say is
true, I could conceivably write my own system, which would be an exact
duplicate of 4e D&D, and publish it with no worries of reprecussions,
as long as I didn't use their images, logo or tables.  Then, I could
sell it for 1/2 price, and loose anonymous "word of mouth" advertising
via the internet that a much cheaper option was available that was the
exact same thing, thereby drawing their customers away from them.
*That* seems unfair to me, and also seems like it has to be
incorrect.  Don't get me wrong, I'm no expert on copyright laws, but
there has to be something protecting their system from duplication.

Isn't it true that the basic copyright still applies, and they copyright
the specific expression of the rules as written in the 4e books? You'd
apparently be able to duplicate all the 4e ideas as long as you didn't
copy the phrasing, without falling afoul of the "derivative works" part
of the law.

I think that would be gist of it.  Just like you can publish your own
rules
to checkers, chess, etc.  So long as the particular expression of
those
rules is your own work.  So it's true for D&D, Monopoly, etc.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Wow. Create a round board game with the same number of squares as
Monopoly, recreate the money system using "points" instead of money,
use "spaces" instead of land, and use "coins" instead of tokens.
Rewrite all of the cards without the exact phrasing, and release the
game as "Enterprise".

The ultimate irony. Breaking the monopoly on Monopoly.

I think it's a good thing the public at large thinks things like that
are protected from copyright laws. I once created a board game where
you linked actors and actresses to one another through movies they'd
acted in, and my friends and I played it often. I thought about
trying to market it, but decided against it, because I assumed someone
would sue me for copyright infringement on the "7 degrees of Kevin
Bacon" game.
.

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