| From: | Gary Crane <jack9@*********.NET> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Most disturbing news... |
| Date: | Wed, 15 Oct 1997 22:31:50 -0700 |
>>>>>> Axlrose - ... <<<<< wrote:
>
>> As some of you people might know, it seems Richard Garfield patented the
>> term and usage of "collectable card game". From what I have gathered,
any
>> card game that has the aspects of card selection, collectable aspect, and
>> turn based play falls under this term. According to the following web
page :
>
>> http://www.wizards.com/Corporate_Info/News_Releases/WotC/Patent_Info.html
>
>> it seems that present companies that use such a set-up will have to pay
>> royalties to WotC and/or have Wizards have underlining control. Using our
>> beloved Shadowrun as an example, FASA would have the rights to the subject,
>> but WotC would have all other aspects to the game and game play. Similar
>> to when WotC bought out the company doing Legends of the Five Rings - they
>> could not alter the aspect of the subject matter, but had control in other
>> ways.
>
>Actually, having looked at the patent with some lawyerly friends, you'd
>be hard-pressed to get sued by Garfield's patent. Several of the terms
>are notoriously ambiguous ('collectible' being the biggest: I know
>people who collect Tarot, as well as regular (52-card) playing cards)
>and many of the terms are very specific to Magic.
>
>Note that copying one or two of the features is fine and dandy, as it's
>impossible to escape in the mechanical world (which is the basis of all
>patent design). Can't really patent a nail, can't patent 'tapping' (or
>as the patent says, rotating 90-degrees about the center). The patent
>holds mostly in the sum of all these elements.
>
>What the net effect may be is that other gaming companies are forced to
>patent their games as well, which is a fairly small fee (less than $100,
>last I checked). Or go international since, iirc, the US doesn't follow
>international patenting agreements. (Guess Carte Mundi is good for
>something else, too.
>
>I can't really think of any game that's been so blatant a rip-off of
>Magic that it would be affected by this lawsuit. And I've played a
>number.
>
>
>-Mb
Howabout if FASA just coallates cards without official rulebooks, and says
they're just plain collectable cards, but if people wish to play it as a
game then.....
<sarcasm off>
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