RISK on Google Maps Shut Down 312
mrokkam writes "Hasbro owns the copyrights for the game of Risk, as the guy who wrote the google maps based Risk found out. This was featured on slashdot earlier. However, he does not seem too discouraged and asks people to submit ideas for other games using google maps that will not have such legal wrangles." One thing this reminded me of is how cool Risk is. My office is now in its 3rd round... Africa will be mine!
Copyrights (Score:5, Interesting)
If the game looks similar and plays the same, but does not have its rules phrased the same as the original game, is this a violation of copyright? I'm genuinely curious.
Litigious bastards (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:So don't use the name RISK? (Score:5, Interesting)
FreeRisk? Google Maps? Why not the Blue Marble? (Score:4, Interesting)
Civ IV can even use NASA Blue Marble tiles [slashgisrs.org], I don't see why a FreeRisk or not-so-free Risk couldn't make use of NASA's Blue Marble data. It would be more beautiful than a Google Map basemap. Am I wrong?
Clearly, this is another example where IP impeds innovation...
Re:So don't use the name RISK? (Score:4, Interesting)
It's still around. You can download it here [johndaileysoftware.com]. You'll need a BBS to run it any way other than hotseat multiplayer. Or you could log onto any one of hundreds of BBSs [synchro.net] that could be running it.
A very good argument... (Score:3, Interesting)
... for why copyright terms should be dramatically cut. Far from increasing the productivity of gifted artists the current copyright laws seem to cause them to give up work after they have had one success. I'm not saying that artists shouldn't be compensated but 20 years, to me, feels like about the right amount of time to protect the work. It's long enough that no business will just wait 20 years for the copyright on a work to expire before publishing and it's not so short that the artists would struggle to reap their just rewards.
I remember playing Risk as a kid and it wasn't a new game then (my parents bought the set). How can it be right that it is still protected by copyright?. If copyrights were shorter Hasbro would no doubt have pumped money into developing new more exciting games.
Having said that I suppose there is no problem with producing a very similar game with a different name to get around the copyright problem. I suppose we should be thankful they didn't patent it :o). The parting thought is this though - there is a reason they call them board games and it's not because they are played on a board.
Re:Trademark (Score:5, Interesting)
here's mine:
http://farmersreallysucks.com/cgi-bin/QAD_CMS.pl?
Anyway, my first reaction was "Oh Shit, Oh Shit, Oh Shit" then I took some time and realised that they were using baseless assertions, thus I got a little pissed. Finally I spent the next week looking up laws in US Title 15 and writing my rebuttal (the red text).
-nB
Who is responsible for this sort of stupidity? (Score:2, Interesting)
The settings for board games and online games are typically completely different, with very little overlap. You don't (typically) sit around at home and play a board game by yourself. Likewise, Hasbro doesn't even have a net capable product to offer. At worst, this would have generated more interest, and hence more sales of the game. Instead, they choose to pursue legal actions which will only anger people, and ensure that they will actively search for alternatives to their products.
While technically this wasn't an online multi-player game, such a version was rumored to be in development. I can't see that enough people would choose to huddle around a computer in this way to be any threat to their business. Certainly, if one likes to play chess, and has people available to play with, 99.9% of them would choose to buy a chess set.
Diplomacy (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Copyrights (Score:3, Interesting)
You CANNOT trademark a generic english word.
You might succeed in getting the paperwork passed, but it won't pass muster in court.
http://www.gcglaw.com/resources/tech/windows.html [gcglaw.com]
The word "escalator" was a made-up word that lost its protection through the general public using it for all sorts of "moving stairs", but it was initally a valid trademark. Windows never was - and it cost Microsoft $20 million to make Lindows go away rather than have a judge rule against them.YOu can make a raisin bran cereal and call it "schon's Raisin Bran" - Kelloggs can't come after you. As long as you include YOUR name, to differentiate it from their product, you're okay. So, you can use the name Risk - its only trademarked in conjuction with Hasbro, in the sense of "Hasbro Risk", "schon's Risk" would NOT be an infringement, as Risk is NOT a "made-up" word, but a generic word from everyday english.
Hasbro can go fuck themselves. I have 4 copies of the Risk board game, plus the computer game - but they'll never see another penny from me. This was all bullshit. I also have a lot of their other games - but no more. And they can forget about the xmas gift-giving as well.
Re:FreeRisk? Google Maps? Why not the Blue Marble? (Score:2, Interesting)
RISK has a somewhat broader base, and still finds its way onto toy store shelves all over. Alhough I'm not sure how the Google Maps version could hurt them (it seems like it would remind people of the joys of risk and push sales rather than compete with the board game version).
Re:Copyrights (Score:3, Interesting)
What poor sports. (Score:2, Interesting)
Mostly, I was out of town all weekend and unable to try it and I really was looking forward to playing.