BattleTech PBeM Development Group From: bc@fccn01.fccn.pt (Luis Miguel Sequeira) Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 09:45:32 +0000 ******************************************************************* B A T T L E T E C H P B e M D E V E L O P M E N T G R O U P ******************************************************************* I forgot to mention something important on my last post, and was reminded by it when I read the following article: Matt (BURGESMW@cnsvax.uwec.edu) on article <1992Nov12.140512.2307@cnsvax.uwec.edu> writes: >I don't know anything about BATTLETECH except that I believe FASA >supported the creation of it. The question which arises is a legal one. By creating a PBeM based on the BattleTech setting, even a free one, without any idea on making profit with the game, aren't we violating any copyrights or other legal protecting matters belonging to FASA? If FASA has supported specific BattleTech PBMs in the past, and even the widespread PC/Amiga games, it may also be the case that some software house has all the rights on writing games with the BattleTech setting. I don't know if this is true with FASA, but I know that, for instance, SSI has the monopoly on all computer games based on TSR's AD&D settings. This could lead to the development to a PBeM on a "clone world" without any mention to FASA's BattleTech, if no other options were available. So, I'd like some advise on the matter. 1) Does anyone know if FASA has Internet capability, or some other form to be contacted (besides snail mail or phone)? I've heard they had a BBS in the States supporting their products. Is there any way to contact them and ask them about copyright & other legal issues? 2) In that case, and as living in Portugal, Europe (overseas!), can anyone ask a representative of FASA about this matters? I know personally FASA's representative in Portugal (he's an old friend of mine), but he really hasn't any such powers (even if the game were run from Portugal, he couldn't decide on copyright policies). Perhaps one of FASA's staff works somewhere where he's got email, could anyone send me please an address? If not, and if enough people are still interested in developing a BattleTech PBeM, I'll write FASA myself and wait for an answer (it takes at least one month to get snail mail twice across the Atlantic). I've heard from my friend that they are really a bunch of nice guys, but you never know... Sorry for not thinking about this before (in case any of FASA's representatives were reading this). Portugal is reckoned to have one of the highest per capita copyright violations (software piracy is illegal only since last year!). I believe it's still in my blood... so I really forgot this. My sincere apologies to anyone concerned. - Luis Sequeira _________________________________________________________________________ / / _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ Computer scientists do it byte by byte. _/ _/_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ God created Law and Order from Chaos, _/ _/ _/ _/ but Chaos was created by computer _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ scientists. bc@fccn.pt Luis Miguel Sequeira Laboratorio Nacional de Engenharia Civil Phone 351-1-8482131 Ext. 2752 Centro Informatica/Grupo Sistemas Centrais "Don't call me, I'll call you" Av. Brasil, 101 - 1700 Lisboa, Portugal / _________________________________________________________________________/ Referenced By Up