(TFT) Re: copyrights

["Brett Slocum" <slocum@deliverator.io.com>]

Since an adventure you write is your own expression, all you have to deal with in terms 
of legality is trademarks and patents.  If you properly attribute trademark-holders in 
your work, you can probably publish them.  How else has anyone written an adventure for a 
magazine? I have written magazine articles for the GURPS system that I 
didn't seek permission from SJGames to publish.  I put the ubiquitous "GURPS(R) is a 
registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games. No infringement of any trademarks or 
copyrights is intended by their use here." in all issues I publish. 

Now, it would be polite to ask permission. And if you ask permission to publish a 
magazine article, you probably aren't going to have to pay royalties. Now if you publish 
a game book, then you'll need a license.

I've written an article to convert Tekumel to GURPS. In that case, since I was using 
things from Tekumel, like nonhuman races, religions, nations, etc., and since I really 
like Prof. Barker, I asked his permission to publish it. He told me to contact TOME 
(Theatre of the Mind Enterprises), who holds the license for game materials in that 
universe. 

Now, if you write an article that gives character stats for a character in a book, then 
you need the author's permission.

OK, so I'm not an intellectual property lawyer, nor do I play one on TV.
---
Brett Slocum <slocum@io.com> -- MiB #0666 (Minneapolis, MN - CL) -- ICQ #13032903
* Illuminated Sitekeeper for Steve Jackson Games
* GURPS site:   http://www.io.com/~slocum/gurps.html
* Tekumel site: http://www.io.com/~slocum/tekumel.html
"Ah'm yer pa, Luke." -- if James Earl Ray was the voice of Darth Vader
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