Re: (TFT) TFT copyrights and adventures

[jh@metheny.brainiac.com (Joe Hartley)]

"Chris Savage" <Deacon@strato.net> wrote:
> However, I would like to know how the owner of the mailing lists feels about
> us passing around some rules changes, adventure possibilities, new talents
> etc...

I have no problems at all with this.  I've discussed early on my mods
for turn sequencing to streamline the PBEM process which takes most of 
the Melee/Wizard rules and combines them with the Dragons of Underearth
sequencing, meaning all actions happen simultaneously rather than the TFT
concept of nothing happening simultaneously.  (I'd even be happy to repost
it to open that discussion again :)

Based on the _real_ copyright law, there's no problem with that.  Even if
I quote the turn sequence from DoU, since we're a small group that's not
doing this for profit, and there's no damage to the holder of the DoU
copyright, fair use would seem to hold.

But the point made was that it doesn't matter if you're _right_ or not;
if the command is given to "release the lawyers!", then it's going to cost
you, and if you don't have the cash, you're screwed.

Now, I'd like to think that if we talk about the rules, and post some
mini-microquests and make a conscious attempt not to deliberately infringe
existing copyrights, then we're all happy and playing the games we legally
own and will never hear a peep from anybody.  But I hope that if Howard
were to re-surface with a pack of lawyers at his heels knocking at my door,
all 40 subscribers to this list would kick in $10 each for two hours'
of my lawyer's time :)  (Actually, that's more likely to be between 3 & 4
hours; I've got one of the best trademark/domain name/copyright lawyers
in the country, and because his girlfriend used to be my partner's boss,
we get a good rate.  Why did I need him?  Take a look at the domain name
and take a guess!)

So my position:  I created this list to talk about just such things as Chris
mentions 'way up at the top of this email.  I _want_ to see some new
quests that are compatible with TFT, and this list and the website at
http://www.brainiac.com/tft are the places these things should be.

What I do not want to see (and will go so far as to delete them from the
online archives if they ever showed up) are reprints of the Wizard spell
tables, or reprints of Interplay articles, or artwork used without the
copyright holders position.

(Even that last point is contentious:  The Maverick has an online "museum"
showing the covers of all the Metagaming Meta- and Microgames on his
website.  Is that a violation?  Is it fair use?  

Walt O'Hara and I created the PBEM gamebox for Melee and Wizard, and we 
use the counters from those games, as well as an accurate recreation of 
the maps, and little spell counters with the IQ, cost and damage on them.
I consider that gamebox to be well into the area of protected material,
which is why I don't make it freely available, but instead take an extra
step to make sure that it gets sent only to people who own the original
games it's based on.)

Basically, I'll be allowing almost anything, but if anyone comes back to me
and says "This particular post crossed the line," I'll remove it.  We've
got a number of folks here who hold copyrights and have a good sense of
right and wrong, and I'd abide by their judgement (while at the same time
absolving them from any responsibility in the decision!).

> Mr. Hartley?

Who????   Please, it's Joe.  Next person to call me Mr. Hartley will either
feel my wrath, or is an eight year old friend of my son's!


========================================================================
        Joe Hartley - jh@brainiac.com - brainiac services, inc
 PO Box 5069 : Greene, RI : 02827 - vox 401.539.9050 : fax 401.539.2070
  Without deviation from the norm, "progress" is not possible. - FZappa
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