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From: nak@gwe486.cb.att.com ()
Subject: Re: Question regarding protection
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References: <clarD7z40q.63A@netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 3 May 1995 14:42:32 GMT
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In article <clarD7z40q.63A@netcom.com>, Boris Iofis <clar@netcom.com> wrote:
>Could anyone explain me please, what are the normal ways of computer 
>games (and related issues, like concept of the game) copyright protection?
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>Bob.


First:  If you're serious about this, talk to an intellectual property
lawyer.  I'm not one.  What you are about to read, while true as far as I
know, is not legal advice.

Copyright protects a given work.  The code, the comments, the art, the
music all get copyright protection at the time they are created by the
person who created them.  That's the general case.  The words you are
reading right now are copyrighted by me, right now, unless I claim
otherwise.  

Copyright does not protect algorithms.  A Patent might, if you invented
something new and jumped through a bazillion hoops to get your patent.  For
now let's quietly ignore patents.

So if you have a neat algorithm for say sorting, I can not copy your code
because your code is copyrighted.  I can ponder and understand it, and
perhaps later wright new code of my own that does the same sort algorithm
using distinctly different code of my own writing.  If some lawyers convince
a court that what I wrote copied your code, then I violated your copyright.
If the court says otherwise, then I have simply coded an algorithm.

If I see that your game neatly synchronizes music and action in some novel
way, I can try to make my game do the same.  I can not copy your code, or
your music, or the code that makes the music sync to action.  I can try to
do the same thing on my own because the idea is not protected by copyright.

The real tricky parts are where the limits of copyright protection are.  In
the US this is often done by making a bunch of lawyers rich in the process
getting things settled in court.

I don't know if it's back in print, but, "Legal Care for Your Software" is
a book I bought years ago and still keep close to hand.  Head off to the
library and grab a few books.

---
Neil Kirby	DoD# 0783	nak@archie.cb.att.com
AT&T Bell Labs  Columbus OH     USA (614) 860-5304
President Internet BMW Riders
It's very red.  It's very fast.  And it's mine: 1994 R1100RSL

