Question(s) for the founders

[Chalupacabra]

First off, excellent work on this site. I'm impressed at how well it runs given the volume of games that are running at any given time with the constant refreshes that must barrage the server.

My question is in regards to the licensing issues surrounding the likeness this game carries to an actual board game that shall not be named. I have another board game in mind that I would love to see implemented in a web-based interface like CC, but I'm still unclear what the limitations are.

Did you spend any time researching how much the game had to differ from its inspiration to be used? I see a striking similarity to Lux, so perhaps those issues were already worked out by someone else. (Or maybe you made Lux, too!)

If you did research, what were the criteria for defining this as a separate game that could be used commercially? Are these criteria different for each game or is there a rule of thumb that should be folowed?

Any thoughts on this issue would be much appreciated. If you'd prefer to keep this kind of discussion private feel free to PM me. I realize I'm just a random forum nobody so I won't take offense if you just ignore me and my pesky questions.

[alex_white101]

i felt sorry for you since noone has replied so i posted this

i have no idea about ur questions im afriad, and i doubt many do so you will have to keep bumping this thread to make sure the few who would know any info will notice the thread and reply

[Chalupacabra]

It's no problem. I realize that it could be considered somewhat of a 'trade secret' and they may be working on other games I don't know about. I can think of a few really great games that could use an interface like this. Many companies opt to license their games out to companies that make networked PC versions but rarely do they offer the persistence and "slow play" like you can get in a web-based implementation as offered here.

I fully expected to get no response, but figured it was worth a shot for the sake of getting more games like this out there to appease us turn-based strategy addicts.

[joeyjordison]

is the game of risk in the public domain? you should check that because its quite old and it could be that anyone can make it...

its a bit off the subject but maps and stuff can just be traced over roughly and then the original image isn't being used to its legal i think. also there is a percentage (something like 60%) of which a piece of work must be yours. the rest you can take. i don't know much about this but i'm sure there's a way, especially for risk as there are numerous risk sites

[Chalupacabra]

There are definitely a lot of clones out there and I've been unable to find out if Parker Brothers made the game public domain, based on its age or out of the kindness of their heart, or if they just aren't enforcing their right to it. Any links to this type of information would be much appreciated. I'm hesitant to even consider a project of this magnitude without making damn sure it won't bite me in the ass later on, and I had hoped some folks here had some lessons learned to share from working on this. I have no intention of building a competitor to this site, but it's nice to know if I work on a different game as a hobby that there's some potential to expand should it become successful down the road.

[joeyjordison]

lack is the one who you are going to have to ask. i don't think anyone will have a proper answer for CC itself.

[lackattack]

Hasbro has shut down web games in the past like e-Scrabble and Google Maps Risk, so you have to be careful. Before launching Conquer Club I met with a trademark lawyer to make sure everything is kosher.

Here is some backround info on US Copyright law on games and Canadian copyright law. A couple snippets from these sources:

The idea for a game is not protected by copyright. The same is true of the name or title given to the game and of the method or methods for playing it.

Copyright protects only the particular manner of an author’s expression in literary, artistic, or musical form. Copyright protection does not extend to any idea, system, method, device, or trademark material involved in the development, merchandising, or playing of a game. Once a game has been made public, nothing in the copyright law prevents others from developing another game based on similar principles.

Some material prepared in connection with a game may be subject to copyright if it contains a sufficient amount of literary or pictorial expression. For example, the text matter describing the rules of the game, or the pictorial matter appearing on the gameboard or container, may be registrable.

Trade-marks are used to distinguish the goods or services of one person or company from those of another. Slogans, names of products, distinctive packages or unique product shapes are all examples of features that are eligible for registration as trade-marks. Sometimes, one aspect of a work may be subject to copyright protection and another aspect may be covered by trade-mark law. For example, if you created a new board game, you might enjoy a copyright on the artwork applied to the face of the game board, the rules of the game and a trade-mark for the game's title.

...

When copyright does not apply

...

You may have a brilliant idea for a mystery plot but until the script is actually written, or the motion picture produced, there is no copyright protection. In the case of a game, it is not possible to protect the idea of the game, that is, the way the game is played, but the language in which the rules are written would be protected as a literary work. Copyright is restricted to the expression in a fixed manner (text, recording, drawing) of an idea; it does not extend to the idea itself.

Hope that answers some of your question

[Chalupacabra]

Thanks a lot, lack. That's exactly what I was looking for. You da man.

Sounds like as long as I don't capitalize on the name brand to sell a product the game mechanics themselves are free to use. As long as a specific patent isn't being violated for the actual game apparatus there really aren't any other restrictions.

I really appreciate you taking the time to dig that up and share. Keep up the good work!