Where can someone find Copy Righted designs?
Author
Where can someone find Copy Righted designs?
Well it seems that I talk to some people and they tell me an idea and I break their hopes and tell them it already has been done. The thing is that what if someone else has an idea but they did it in an unpopular game that we don''t know about, and up to what degree is it to be called copy?
You cant copyright ideas, just implementations of those ideas, so, as long as you are not using a copy-paste approach on someone else''s code, or naming your First Person Shooter something like Unreal or Doom, you are pretty safe.
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quote:Original post by Kwizatz
You cant copyright ideas, just implementations of those ideas, so, as long as you are not using a copy-paste approach on someone else's code, or naming your First Person Shooter something like Unreal or Doom, you are pretty safe.
Umm I dont think so exatly
for example
street fighter 2 VS
Fighter's History (karnov's revenge)
I think Capcom won the law sute over Dataeast, eventhough they didn't copy capcom's idea exactly.
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Also if you say it that way, can I make mario brothers and change the chracters and write my own code eventhough the game plays exactly the same?
[edited by - warsong on October 21, 2003 6:05:43 PM]
No, really, you can''t copyright ideas. Copyrights are for works, like a book, source code, binaries, art etc. The finished product is copyrighted. The implementation/algorithms/methods used in that work can be patented (in many cases anyways), and the names used in the work can be trademarked.
from http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-protect.html:
What does copyright protect?
Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section "What Works Are Protected."
So the idea itsself can not be copyrighted by how it is expressed, which maybe the basis for the lawsuit you mentended.
Just as a side note question number 10 on the FAQ page is "How do I protect my sighting of Elvis?"
[edited by - kars on October 22, 2003 9:29:43 AM]
What does copyright protect?
Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section "What Works Are Protected."
So the idea itsself can not be copyrighted by how it is expressed, which maybe the basis for the lawsuit you mentended.
Just as a side note question number 10 on the FAQ page is "How do I protect my sighting of Elvis?"
[edited by - kars on October 22, 2003 9:29:43 AM]
quote:Original post by Warsong
Also if you say it that way, can I make mario brothers and change the chracters and write my own code eventhough the game plays exactly the same?
Yes!, it will be a Clone, nothing original at all, but no problem unless (again) you copy-paste the artwork and levels.
There is also plagiarism, which falls somewhere inbetween copyright and patent. I''m not sure how this is addressed by laws, though.
lol, if you want to find copyrighted designs, they are registered at the United States Library of Congress. They might have a few there 
Ideas cannot be copyrighted, only the tangible expression of the idea. For instance, if buddy tells you about a great idea for a game, and you make the game, you made the idea tangible, so you own the copyright.
If someone else has already made the idea tangible but you don''t know about it, you can use that as your defense if they sue you.
"up to what degree is it to be called copy" is usually decided on a case by case basis. The judge or jury will decide if it is a copy.
Kiwzatz is right though, you should be pretty safe. You can make a falling blocks game that removes blocks when you complete a line, just make damn sure you don''t call it Tetris.
Ideas cannot be copyrighted, only the tangible expression of the idea. For instance, if buddy tells you about a great idea for a game, and you make the game, you made the idea tangible, so you own the copyright.
If someone else has already made the idea tangible but you don''t know about it, you can use that as your defense if they sue you.
"up to what degree is it to be called copy" is usually decided on a case by case basis. The judge or jury will decide if it is a copy.
Kiwzatz is right though, you should be pretty safe. You can make a falling blocks game that removes blocks when you complete a line, just make damn sure you don''t call it Tetris.
quote:Original post by WarsongWrong, the case was dismissed.
street fighter 2 VS
Fighter''s History (karnov''s revenge)
I think Capcom won the law sute over Dataeast, eventhough they didn''t copy capcom''s idea exactly.
Hasbro has had some ''luck'' shutting down classic arcade game clones, however, all of them were against people without the money nor the time to fight them.
~~~~~
"Sorry(dede), I''m only 22 years old. But I WOULD kill you if I see you around
" - pouya.Download and play Slime King I.
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