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Re: (TFT) Johns Tribute to TFT
Friday, 22 December 2006
Hey there, Everybody,
A few of points.
First, I had forgotten about the "Lords of Underearth" game completely. So,
at first I confused it with the "Dragons of Underearth" game in a recent
discussion. For the record, I still need pdf copies of both games (and
"Warrior Lords of Darok") for the website.
Also, there has been some discussion recently, on another thread, about TFT
copyrights and my website. I would like to address that issue here.
I am treating the copyrights to TFT materials as abandoned property. To the
best of my knowledge, no one has exercised the copyrights to TFT since
Metagaming went out of business in 1982 or 1983. Specifically (to the best
of my knowledge), no one has published TFT since then, and no one has
authorized others (3rd parties) to publish TFT since then, and no one has
prohibited others from making copies of TFT materials since then, and no one
has prohibited others from making derivative works that are based on TFT
(like websites, scenarios, short stories, etc.) since then. In short, and
to the best of my knowledge, no one has used the copyrights to TFT in any
way since Metagaming went out of business in 1982 or 1983. And so, I am
treating the TFT copyrights like a piece of abandoned property. Like an
abandoned lot, someone owns it; but the lot is vacant; and nothing has been
posted there or done there in over 20 years.
I do not know who owns the copyrights to TFT. Metagaming owned the
copyrights to TFT, but Metagaming went out of business in 1982 or 1983.
After that, the property of Metagaming (including the TFT copyrights)
presumably went to the owners of Metagaming. The principal owner of
Metagaming was, as best I can tell, the founder of the company: Mr. Howard
Thompson. However, Mr. Thompson has vanished from the gaming industry and
from the public gaming community since Metagaming closed in 1982 or 1983.
Since then, he may have kept the rights to TFT. Or, in the intervening
years, he may have sold them or given them to someone else. I don't know,
and I don't know of any public records that would say who owns the
copyrights to TFT.
I have posted TFT materials online, available for download and for free, for
the better part of the last year (since about the end of January of 2006 or
so).
I have done so out of nostalgia and out of tribute. The TFT game was a
special part of the childhood of thousands of children who grew up in the
early to mid 1980s. It stimulated the mind and the imagination. It created
opportunities for socializing and making new friends. And, frankly, it gave
joy and pleasure to kids who played the game. In retrospect, I can see that
TFT is also worthy of tribute as a gaming system because of its elegant
simplicity and its balance of playability and realism. But, it is mostly
for the good it did for me and for thousands of others who played the game
that TFT is worthy of nostalgia and tribute. It is no small thing to give
happiness to a child. TFT did that; and so I posted the TFT materials
online and available for download, for free, for those who want to remember
or re-experience that.
My goal is not to violate TFT copyrights. Again, to the best of my
knowledge, nothing has been done with the TFT copyrights in over 20 years.
It has not been republished; and nothing has been done to prevent derivative
works (websites, short stories, etc.) from being published. Indeed, to the
best of my knowledge, nothing has been heard from the owner of the TFT
copyrights in over 20 years. In short, again, it seems like abandoned
property. Hence, I am making it available, for free, for those who wish to
privately enjoy it: out of tribute and nostalgia.
Nevertheless, I am willing to respect the wishes of the copyright owner of
TFT. As I have publicly posted on my website (on the downloads page), the
owner of the TFT copyrights can contact me and ask me to stop making the TFT
materials available for download, and I would happily comply. I would
require some kind of written proof that the person really is the owner of
the TFT copyrights -- to prevent being tricked by a crank. But, if the
owner of the TFT copyrights (whoever that is) wants me to stop providing TFT
materials for download, I would comply.
I find it remarkable that the owner of the TFT copyrights has not asked me
to cease and desist. TFT materials have been available for download at my
website for the better part of the last year (since the end of January of
2006, or so). My name and my email address have also been posted at my
website during that time. With the latest edition of my website (which I
uploaded at the beginning of this month), I also included my mailing
address. My website is one of the top ranked TFT websites on the search
engines. My website is easy to find, and so is my contact information.
Nevertheless, to date, I have not received any notice from the copyright
owner of TFT materials to cease and desist.
Bottom line: TFT was a very enjoyable game from the 1980s, and I posted
copies of TFT materials for download, for free, out of nostalgia and in
tribute to it. To the best of my knowledge, no one has used or enforced the
copyrights to TFT in the last 23 or 24 years. That includes the time since
I posted the TFT materials at my website for download, for free, about a
year ago. However, if the owner of the TFT copyrights provides me with
written proof of ownership and asks me in writing to stop making those
materials available, I would comply.
Nevertheless, I hope the owner of the TFT copyrights would allow the TFT
materials to remain available: out of tribute to a truly well designed
gaming system, and out of nostalgia felt by thousands of people who received
stimulation, friendship and joy by playing TFT in their childhood.
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year.
-- John
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