Re: (TFT) Re:copyrights

[Daniel Tulloh <daniel@jaws.greatwhite.com>]

On Thu, 16 Jul 1998, J. McGuire wrote:

> I won't. I'll quote them:
> 
> http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ1.html#hlc
> http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/title17/
> http://www.theslushpile.com/Copyright_Law_Cheat_Sheet.html

Before I begin waxing poetic on the above documents, I want to state 
that I am not now, nor have I ever been a lawyer.  All comments 
following must be viewed in that light.

After reviewing the above documents with an eye towards gaming, it
would seem to me that the problems of this thread center around
what constitutes "fair use."

When I purchase an RPG, I am given the right to construct adventures,
etc using the procedures and mechanics of that RPG for my personal
use AND THE USE OF MY GAMING GROUP.  This last part is necessary, 
otherwise it would seem to be illegal for me to GM an adventure that
I created for my gaming group.  I take the term "personal use" here
to indicate that I can distribute my adventure to whomever I choose,
as long as I do not charge a fee for such distribution.

If I create adventure X using RPG system Y, then *I* own the copy-
right to that adventure.  It would seem reasonable that I am not
allowed to profit from the sale or distribution of said adventure
without the owner of RPG system Y being entitled to any royalties
resulting from any monies realized from such sale or distribution.

This is the sticky wicket here, as the owner of the RPG system and
I would have to have some form of agreement regarding the amount 
of these royalties (even if that amount is zero).  If the owner of 
the RPG system refuses to sign any such agreement, then any sale or
distribution violates the law.  The fact that I can't locate the
owner of the copyright does not matter.

What this means for us is that we cannot post any adventures to 
the net (this constitutes distribution) without a written agreement
from the owner of the RPG system on which that adventure is based.

The floor is now open for discussion.

Dan



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