> I have been spending several months reprogramming in Inform for PC
> compatibles a 1981-vintage text adventure game, Empire of the Over-Mind.
> Simultaneously, I've been communicating with the Monarch Avalon, the
> current incarnation of Avalon Hill, who owns the copyright to obtain
> permission. After repeated requests I finally have their answer. In
> view of its tone and substance I thought I would share it.
So what's the problem? They own the copyright. That means that they
have the right to do whatever with the product that they feel, at
least in this context. It doesn't matter whether they do it rudely or
not. If you were worried about such a response, you should have never
put effort into the project before getting permission in the first
place.
Look at it from the copyright holder's point of view, particularly
when it's a company, rather than an individual: Someone's asking for
permission to port a game (which clearly falls under copyright, since
it's a derivative work). What benefit does the copyright holder gain
by this porting? None that is tangible. Perhaps a few
collectors/nostalgists will be pleased by the copyright holder's
benevolence, but that doesn't mean much. What does the copyright
holder have to lose? A good deal, if you take into account factors
such as discreding the company name, misunderstood association of the
port of the game to the company itself, as well as possible fraudulent
acts on the part of the porter, if he or she decides to try to make
money at it after all. Over all it's a big mess, and probably,
speaking from an logical viewpoint, the correct answer for a copyright
holder when asked such a question is, "No."
Erik Max Francis, &tSftDotIotE ...!uuwest!alcyone!max max@alcyone.darkside.com
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