[Coco] HWGA (was) Coco games copyright

Ben Jimenez ben_jimenez at yahoo.com
Thu Feb 12 11:36:49 EST 2009


Hi, i'm not sure why I can't see my responses to these post but here goes. The reason I was asking is because I'm starting to develop some games for the Ipod platform and I thought it would be cool to convert some of the Coco games.

I'm developing in Object-C so i'm not sure how easy it would be to do the whole emulator, but making some clones of some good game would help me to get a good start on the platform and keep the coco games going. 



--- On Wed, 2/11/09, John <johnguin at hotmail.com> wrote:

> From: John <johnguin at hotmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Coco] HWGA (was)  Coco games copyright
> To: "'CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts'" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2009, 4:55 PM
> Would it be easier to port MESS or some other emulator and
> get the entire
> COCO library in one fell swoop?
> 
> To be clear, I have NO idea how easy/hard that would be.  I
> just wanted to
> ask what was an obvious (to me) question.
> 
> John
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com
> [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] On
> Behalf Of Allen Huffman
> Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 1:38 PM
> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
> Subject: Re: [Coco] HWGA (was) Coco games copyright
> 
> Ben, which platform?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/allenhuffman
> 
> On Feb 11, 2009, at 3:33 PM, Ben Jimenez
> <ben_jimenez at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> > Hi,
> >
> > well that more then answers my question. I am think
> about cloning  
> > some games. I guess I should try to contact the
> authors once I  
> > determine which one(s) I want to port over to a mobile
> platform.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --- On Wed, 2/11/09, Joel Ewy <jcewy at swbell.net>
> wrote:
> >
> >> From: Joel Ewy <jcewy at swbell.net>
> >> Subject: Re: [Coco] HWGA (was)  Coco games
> copyright
> >> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer
> Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> >> Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2009, 1:01 PM
> >> James Hrubik wrote:
> >>> Why am I waiting with bated breath, holding my
> finger
> >> over the DELETE
> >>> key...
> >>>
> >>> Maybe each newbie should get an email from
> Dennis with
> >> something to
> >>> the effect that discussions of religion,
> politics, and
> >> copyrights
> >>> should be avoided because they are equally
> likely to
> >> start flame wars.
> >>>
> >>> (Sorry, Joel.  I know you just wanted to help
> the guy,
> >> but I can't
> >>> help thinking you were just trolled.)
> >>>
> >> Maybe so.  But I've now said all I have to say
> on the
> >> matter, and I
> >> won't respond to insults or taunts.  Nothing
> anybody
> >> can say to me on
> >> this list can be worse than things I've been
> told in
> >> person.
> >>
> >> JCE
> >>> On Feb 11, 2009, at Wednesday, February 11,
> 2009 -
> >> 1:51 PM, Joel Ewy
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Ben Jimenez wrote:
> >>>>> Hello,
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I was thinking of converting some Coco
> games
> >> over to a new platform,
> >>>>> but was wondering what the copyright
> was on
> >> them now?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> -- 
> >>>>> Coco mailing list
> >>>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> >>>>>
> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>> Copyright is forever.  Well, not quite
> forever.
> >> It's the life of the
> >>>> author plus 70 years plus the amount of
> time since
> >> Walt Disney died, or
> >>>> something like that.
> >>>>
> >>>> Seriously, it isn't like patents,
> which expire
> >> in 17 years.
> >>>>
> >>>> There are a number of authors of CoCo
> games who
> >> have given permission
> >>>> for their programs to be distributed for
> free,
> >> often with certain
> >>>> restrictions, such as "you may not
> charge for
> >> a copy", etc.  This does
> >>>> not mean that they have renounced their
> copyright
> >> and put the programs
> >>>> in the public domain, only that they are
> using
> >> their copyright to
> >>>> specify the terms under which their works
> can be
> >> copied.
> >>>>
> >>>> L. Curtis Boyle has received permission to
> make
> >> some of these games
> >>>> available for download from his web site,
> and has
> >> documented the
> >>>> permissions he has.  Since these authors
> have
> >> given some enhanced
> >>>> permissions for their works, they might be
> >> amenable to discussing a
> >>>> port.  You'd just have to get in touch
> with
> >> them and see.
> >>>>
> >>>> Of course, if you're just talking
> about
> >> writing your own clone of their
> >>>> original game, you don't need to get
> any
> >> permission or worry about
> >>>> copyright, unless you directly copy stuff
> from the
> >> game, or use
> >>>> trademarked names and so on.
> >>>>
> >>>> Now since these things are pretty old, and
> many of
> >> the old authors
> >>>> aren't involved with the CoCo anymore,
> you
> >> might get away with just
> >>>> appropriating it, but of course you'd
> be doing
> >> so at the risk that they
> >>>> would take notice and threaten a lawsuit. 
> How
> >> likely that would be
> >>>> would probably depend on how you use it. 
> If you
> >> are trying to sell
> >>>> copies of a game that blatantly steals
> their
> >> copyrighted materials, they
> >>>> would probably be more likely to take
> offense, or
> >> take action.  If you
> >>>> do it for fun and give it away for free,
> and
> >> position it as a fan paying
> >>>> tribute to a great game of the past, they
> may not
> >> care, and might even
> >>>> feel honored that their old work has been
> >> remembered.  On the other
> >>>> hand, they might still be perfectly within
> their
> >> rights to sue you.  Do
> >>>> so at your own risk.
> >>>>
> >>>> One other factor is that for most of these
> >> programs there's no economic
> >>>> benefit to be gained from suing you. 
> It's not
> >> as if you're depriving
> >>>> them of any significant potential income
> from
> >> these 20+ years old
> >>>> programs.  But for some people it may be a
> matter
> >> of principle.
> >>>>
> >>>> Now, there may be some CoCo games out
> there that
> >> are really Open Source,
> >>>> or something approximating that.  Those
> you should
> >> be able to port more
> >>>> freely.  But for those that aren't you
> are
> >> either going to have to
> >>>> disassemble them or contact the original
> author
> >> and see if the source
> >>>> code is still around.
> >>>>
> >>>> JCE
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> -- 
> >>>> Coco mailing list
> >>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> >>>>
> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> -- 
> >>> Coco mailing list
> >>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> >>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Coco mailing list
> >> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> >> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> >
> > --
> > Coco mailing list
> > Coco at maltedmedia.com
> > http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> 
> --
> Coco mailing list
> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> 
> 
> --
> Coco mailing list
> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco



More information about the Coco mailing list