Re: Raymond.E.Fiest Pbem

From: raymond@bittersea.com (Raymond E. Feist)

Date: Sat, 05 Jun 1999 00:00:00 +0000

In article <ixU53.20963$Vg.155105@nnrp2.clara.net>, "Serafim"
<serafim@NOSPAMYABASTARDfreeuk.com> wrote:

>Anestis Kozakis <kenosti@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
>news:3759943b.2305390@news.ozemail.com.au...
>> Nope, because if it's done then Ray's Lawyers will be hot the heels of
>> the person who did it.
>>
>Oh dear.
>
>> Ray is very protective of his work, and there are poeple (me included)
>> who will tell Ray if they see something that infringes on his
>> copyright.
>>
>How sad.
>
>> Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see a Midkemia PBM or PBEM, but I
>> respect Ray's decision to keep a tight control on his work, especially
>> after hearing about one author's trials with a fan and fan-fiction.
>
>I bet you're the kind of guy/girl who writes to Microsoft every time you see
>a gold CD huh??
>
>If anyone wants to play in a reasonable Feist game they're welcome to email
>me and I'll pass on details of the game I'm currently playing in. Of course
>this is in breach of copyright, but as the turns are free and there are only
>about 20 players it should only bother jobs-worths such as Anestis Kozakis

Actually it bothers a lot more people than "jobs-worths" such as Anestis.

Let me make this short and sweet:

Anyone who attempts to make a product without license is a thief.

Anyone who attempts to make a product based on copyrighted material
belonging to Midkemia Press or The Bitter Sea Company will be sent a cease
and desist letter and if that is inored they will be sued.  And they will
lose.

Is that simple enough?

If anyone thinks that this is harmless, they have no concept of the
realities of Intellectual Property laws (which is quite the norm among
fandom).  The simple existence of a non-licensed PBM game (even if it is
non-commerical) places trademarks, copyrights, and on-going negotiations
for commercial products.  If they make a product after a license is
granted, they will be sued by the licensee.

And for the ill-informed who repeated the opinion that Midkemia was
"lifted intact" from M.A.R. Barkers Empire of the Petal Thorn, get your
facts straight.  Phil Barker had NOTHING to say about Midkemia.  He had
one distressed phone call to Don Wolhim (his editor)�in 1984, complaining
about the similarities between Kelewan and his work.  His own editor told
him he was off base and that any similarities were either conincidental or
fair use, and to concentrate on his own novels.  But I've been hearing
that sad tale of woe for 20 years.  I call your attention to two facts:
I've got 15 novels in print in 16 languages and even the most ardent fan
of Barkers is unable to claim that body of work is based upon his.  Also,
if there was any�truth to the claim, wouldn't we have been in court 20
years ago?  No, we weren't and we won't be, because the only people who
make this claim are a handful of ardent Barker fans who have heard the
story without looking at the facts and who chose to repeat it as if there
was a shred of truth in it.

Now, I hope I've put all this nonsense to rest.

If you are interested in a Midkemia PBM, stay tuned.  One is being
investigated at this time, which is why we will react very strongly if
anyone is running an unlicensed PBM.

Any questions should be sent to raymond2bittersea.com, as I won't be
reading this board.

Best, R.E.F.

--
Never attribute to malice what can be satisfactorily explained away by stupidity.

References

Raymond.E.Fiest Pbem
"Dill" <rena8888@hotmail.com>
Fri, 04 Jun 1999 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Raymond.E.Fiest Pbem
kenosti@ozemail.com.au (Anestis Kozakis)
Fri, 04 Jun 1999 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Raymond.E.Fiest Pbem
"Serafim" <serafim@NOSPAMYABASTARDfreeuk.com>
Fri, 04 Jun 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

Raymond.E.Fiest Pbem
"Dill" <rena8888@hotmail.com>
Fri, 04 Jun 1999 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Raymond.E.Fiest Pbem
kenosti@ozemail.com.au (Anestis Kozakis)
Fri, 04 Jun 1999 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Raymond.E.Fiest Pbem
"Serafim" <serafim@NOSPAMYABASTARDfreeuk.com>
Fri, 04 Jun 1999 00:00:00 +0000