Re: Ripping off Copyrighted Material

From: mwilliams <mwilliams@signal.dera.gov.uk>

Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Roy Pollard wrote:

> Well, back from my hols and what do I find... a deathly quiet PBM NG - Might
> as well post something thats been nagging at my nerves for a while.

If you want to get a reaction name some names :)

> 1.Has anyone else had problems with other supposed reputable GMs ripping off
> copyrighted material?

Not a problem as such but I know of GMs who rip their campaigns wholesale from
books down to place and character names. I guess this would irk the authors as
much as the ripping of your art irks you. Nothing is done about it because the
sums of money involved as so small as to preclude any substantive action.

> One of the games I run (a Fantasy RPG called The Isles) has slowly been
> gathering images and illustrations and maps over the last ten years - a lot
> of which I commissioned and then paid-for to obtain the original and its
> copyright. A few months ago one of my players mentioned that he'd seen a few
> of the images I own in different game (a large Fantasy game) and had the
> gall to remind me that ripping off THE OTHER GAMES piccies might be dodgy.
> After explaining to the player what the situation was (ie, they were my pics
> and not vice versa) I then got hold of some of the offending game material,
> and sure enough there were some of my pics..

I nick stuff off the web, there are huge archives of archives of fantasy art
which the artists have posted for general use. I don't see why anyone would go
to the trouble of nicking yours when there's such good stuff easily to hand. I
haven't delved into the copy-right laws but seeing a general 'free-for-all' note
on an art site is enough for me to slap the piccy on a few dozen �1 newsletters.

> 2. So, how have (or would) other people dealt with this problem? Would I (as
> copyright holder) be able to demand the material be removed from their Rules
> etc, or would I have problems? On most of these illos I either hold the
> original or have a post-marked and dated, sealed, registered envelope with
> the illos on to show proof of the date when I was in ownership of the pics.

Tell 'em you ain't happy and see what they do. Tell them nicely and they might
see it your way...?

Mark
--
Saturnalia - Swords & Sorcery PBM, running since 1984!

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Station/5676/sat.html

References

Ripping off Copyrighted Material
"Roy Pollard" <plod@proweb.co.uk>
Fri, 19 May 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

Ripping off Copyrighted Material
"Roy Pollard" <plod@proweb.co.uk>
Fri, 19 May 2000 00:00:00 +0000