Re: Richard's PBeM Server (Monthly Post)

From: sthomas@tricity.isltd.insignia.com (Steve Thomas)

Date: Mon, 05 Aug 1996 00:00:00 +0000

In article <Q7H+NdAXE+AyEwRF@maproom.demon.co.uk> Nick Wedd <Nick@maproom.demon.co.uk> writes:
>Reversi appeared before Othello, and was never patented/copyrighted
>anyway.

Reversi probably wasn't copyrighted in the US, but in most of the rest
of the world all that was necessary to obtain copyright in those days
was to publish a copyrightable work.  Whether Reversi was copyrightable
is open to dispute, but I think it was.  However, it's more than 50
years since the game was published, so copyright has lapsed.  I think
it's older than 70 years, so it won't come back.

Some years ago, the US came into line, in copyright matters at least, so
the absence of a copyright notice is no longer a clear sign that the
material is not copyright.

>So you and Microsoft can do what you like with Reversi.

That at least is true.

>The games are not identical.  I'm not totally sure, but I think that in
>Reversi, the first four pieces can be placed freely anywhere on the
>central four squares.

That's one of the changes.  The other is that in Reversi, if you cannot
move, you had your stone over to your opponent, who plays it where he
(she, or it) likes, and then takes his (her, or its) go.

It's perhaps worth noting that there was a late 19th century game (1870s,
perhaps) called Annexation which was basically the same as Reversi and
Othello; it may have been identical to Reversi, but I've never seen the
rules closely enough to be certain.

Steve

References

Richard's PBeM Server (Monthly Post)
Richard Rognlie <rrognlie@erols.com>
Wed, 31 Jul 1996 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Richard's PBeM Server (Monthly Post)
tim@mail.htp.com (Tim Mirabile)
Fri, 02 Aug 1996 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Richard's PBeM Server (Monthly Post)
Nick Wedd <Nick@maproom.demon.co.uk>
Sun, 04 Aug 1996 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

Richard's PBeM Server (Monthly Post)
Richard Rognlie <rrognlie@erols.com>
Wed, 31 Jul 1996 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Richard's PBeM Server (Monthly Post)
tim@mail.htp.com (Tim Mirabile)
Fri, 02 Aug 1996 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Richard's PBeM Server (Monthly Post)
Nick Wedd <Nick@maproom.demon.co.uk>
Sun, 04 Aug 1996 00:00:00 +0000