COPY AND PASTE LINKS IN BROWSER TO VIEW Download at the Website: http://www.legacyofjones.co.nr Current Version: 0.41 (beta) Gameplay Trailer: About the game: NOTE: This is a FANGAME No profiteering involved at all, I'm not getting money from sponsors, not asking people for money from items, spells, etc. It's simply something I'm doing as a way to bring fans together and perhaps non-fans would enjoy it as well, not to mention it's something I'd play if I saw an add for it, and that's saying a lot. Legacy of Jones (LoJ), is a free mmorpg based on the Indiana Jones Franchise. You play as a former student of Dr. Jones himself living in his world with other players. You will have many adventures similar to the style of the movies. This game is based around difficult puzzles though there is a huge arsenal of weapons and enemies to use them on, including complex bosses. The first main story you play through includes the Search for the Tablet of Destinies! Based on Mesopotamian folklore, supposedly the possessor of this tablet gains complete power over the universe. How will you, along with other players in the game, keep the Commies from wielding this unstoppable power? Only you can decide that. Along the way, you will meet many new characters and some that you've already grown to love, who is that you ask? Well, you'll just have to find out won't you? Current Screenshots: Start up Screens http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i174/PloKoon05/Menu-2.gif Barren Temple http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i174/PloKoon05/1-4.jpg Dr. Jones' New office at Barnett College http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i174/PloKoon05/7-1.jpg World Map used to go to different locations all around the world. http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i174/PloKoon05/3-4.jpg The outside of Barnett college located in New York http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i174/PloKoon05/6-1.jpg Please comment about what you think! Once again, I'm doing this to make sure that I'm doing what this community wants to see in a FREE Multiplayer Online Indy Game! Please know that this is beta, which is why I've decided to do this, and full out releasing now might bring upon some disappointment in the length of the game, it grows daily, but grows at a pace that may not be best for a complete gaming experience. Policy:

As a beta tester, I will try as hard as possible to stick with the game, 
as I am now an official member of the Legacy of Jones development staff.

As a beta tester for Legacy of Jones, I understand that this is not a full,
completed game.  As I am playing, I will keep mental notes of what this
game is doing right and doing wrong.  I will report plot mistakes that I notice
that come in conflict with the overall Indiana Jones World. 

Any complaints/compliments I make can be done on the official site in the
Discussion forums.  Once again, I'm not here purely to have fun, but to be a
constructive member of the Beta Testing Community.  

As a beta Tester, I am encouraged to let others know about this game and
the game's website.

do you have permission to use the indy name?

Advocating the absence of profit seeking as an excuse for infringing copyrights is a very common misunderstanding of what in intellectual property is in the first place. An IP is something someone created, which is not for other people to use freely regardless that they want to make profit out of it or not. You may be volating the original concept and vision of the IP's owner. You should create your own IP. in addition, this would be much more rewarding for you.

Granted, nobody will ever get sued here. What I meant is not seeking profit does not make copyrights infringement more moral. Whether a particular usage of an IP respects it's original spirit is for the owner to decide (IMHO). And as you said, it's not like someone has to use the name "Indiana Jones" explicitly to make a good archeology adventure game, so why not invent something new instead? I wish good luck to the OP of course.

Quote:Original post by capn_midnight
Taken on face value, there is no copyright infringement involved here (without playing the game, we cannot know if there are exerpts from any of the movies included).

This is in the realm of trademark infringement, and the lack of profit motive can actually go a long way towards saving them from a lawsuit, in the same way that fan-fiction is permissable as long as it is not sold for profit without permission. Probably the only hurdle they would have to get over would be whether or not Paramount Pictures ever intended to make an MMORPG.

Additionally, if the character of Indiana Jones is only ever referred to as "Dr. Jones", and the players just engage in generic tomb-robbing adventures, then technically they are only referencing the spirit of the original IP, and not the IP itself, so there may not even be any trademark infringement. Indiana Jones does not have a monopoly on archeological grave robbing adventures, and Paramount Pictures could never trademark a name as generic as "Dr. Jones".

Except in this case it's quite clearly based on Indiana Jones. You only need to have a look at the site and the style of the logo to see that.

Furthermore, the site appears to be supported by Google ads, so the "non-commercial" aspect is dicey.

To the OP: if you haven't already, seek permission from Lucasfilm for using the Indiana Jones IP. Otherwise you might have all your hard work be for naught.

I agree it's not cut-and-dried, but there's enough similarity there to max out my risk tolerance and then some. If it came to a civil suit between Paramount IP lawyers and an small indie game group with this much similarity I'd be putting my money on Paramount to win.

I think the basic idea, a grave-raider MMORPG focused on solving puzzles to advance quests, is absolutely great. I just don't see why you want to cripple it by tying it to IP you don't own, when Indy himself is derived from characters like Allan Quatermain and real-life gravediggers like Mitchell-Hedges.

If your game succeeds -- and with solid gameplay I think it has a decent chance -- you can show how much you love Indiana Jones buying merchandise from your profits. Win-win! [smile]