Message no. 1

From:	"Steven A. Tinner" <bluewizard@*****.COM>
Subject:	WotC's CCG patent and FASA (Was - Re: Tinner's Pompous Notions)
Date:	Tue, 17 Mar 1998 00:34:39 -0500

>> So have FASA, and all the other companies printing CCGs licensed the idea
>> from WotC?
>
>FASA has not licensed Garfield's patent. (I suspect they cut a deal
>somehow, as WotC maintains the Battletech CCG for them. No use screwing
>a guy over if he can screw you back, right?)
>
>To my knowledge, only two or three independent (non-WotC-related)
>companies have licensed the patent; none of them come close to being top
>ten.

Just to clarify this issue.
WotC has NOT patented the CCG.

What they patented was the unique elements Garfield designed for MtG.
These include "Tapping" (turning) cards to indicate their use, and the
unique resources management elements of "Play one resource(land) per turn.
These things are legally, the intellectual property of WotC, and they have
every right to protect them and profit from their use - Look at a LOT of the
first wave of copycat CCG's - Over the Edge being a prime example - all they
did was change the wording around, and essentially stole MtG's rules system.

FASA has not purchased a lisence from WotC for the SRTCG, because AFAIK they
are NOT using any of these unique elements.

Steven A. Tinner
bluewizard@*****.com
http://www.ncweb.com/users/bluewizard
"Goldfish have no memory"