From:	DANIEL WAISLEY <LGLUMKA@***.BITNET>
Subject:	Copyright
Date:	Thu, 15 Apr 1993 14:51:39 -0500

What matters to me the most is the character not the adventure.

You say people would be able to use my characters if they changed the
name - I say no, because they are still using the character. The most important
part about a character is the character not the name.

ie. Nightfox would still be who he was even if I renamed him Travelan or
something. What makes a character is not the name but rather the concept.
Anybody can make a mage. Anyone can make a mysterious mage. But a drow mage
(yes this is rather original for shadowrun, only two people I know) who
doesn't understand his power totally but is quickly becoming an extremeley power
mage, who also owns a power/weapon focus on extreme power and who is over
5000 years old but has only been really there for 16 years while his body is
20 tends to rather unique. There will also be a few more twist by tonight
that will add more to the character.

CRUSH - Yes anyone could make a Dumb loveable troll - infact dumb lovable
but large a strong characters are rather prevelent in stories. Of course
this isn't CRUSH'es concept. It much different but since pratically no one
knows his whole concept I do not have to worry.

Lister - I stole the name. It is from a show called Red Dwarf which I named
Project Red Dwarf from. I also told people in the begining where I got the
names.


What I am trying to say is that it is the name that is important - it is the
character. From example I do not beleive Ed. Matusky could claim copyright
On the name "Highlander", it was a movie for peet-sake. He could claim
rights to the concept though.


so for 1 it is no

for 2
well if my proposal comes fact (character concept) then yes

but if just charcter name then I say no from the fact of people
who drop off the list to keep their characters (it probably won't
happen) would still not be able to keep their characters.

secondly - would the people who wrote the book then have claim on
the character concept now because they wrote it to a book?


So in conclusion - The more distinctive a character is the less right others
would have to use it.

I tend to agree with Tom and Rin on this.

Nightfox
remember character concepts
change over time, its called
growth.