[email removed] writes:
> I am currently working on writing a program to save me the trouble of
> rolling dice. I am making the program based directly on the World
> Builder's Handbook, put out by Digest Group. My questions are this:
> What kind of copyright problems would I
> have if I wanted to distribute the program via this mailing list?
Well, it's probably more complicated than posters so far would have
you believe.
As [email removed] pointed out, you normally have full legal ownership
of any software you wrote "from scratch" on your own time. His arguments
about inclusion of tables may be incorrect -- one is allowed to "quote"
copyrighted works in an original work to some extent, and at any rate, if
you embed the tables in C code, just the reformatting could make them your
own work.
However, there exists a special kind of copyright status specifically for
*games*. This is why no one can produce a computer game just like Monopoly
except with slightly rewritten text and graphics. It is possible that DG
would argue that their "World Builder's Handbook" is in fact a new "game",
and that the "concept" contained therein is thus protected.
This and other factors make it appear that you probably have three safe
choices. First, you can just release the stuff. If you do this, I would
strongly suggest that you consult with a lawyer with copyright expertise
first, as you could conceivably get sued. Remember that in America, one can
sue over practically anything with no penalty :-). Second, you can get
written permission from DG to distribute your code. This may or may not be
possible. Third, you can design your own world-building system from
scratch...
In answer to your question, no, an object-only distribution wouldn't help
anything, according to several court decisions on the subject...
Bart Massey
..[email removed]