Your letter deleted...
>And here, in toto, is the reply I received:
>
>Dear Mr. Barnett:
>
>I must inform you that it is not possible to grant your request to
>reprogram, distribute or release a non-commercial version of EMPIRE OF
>THE OVER-MIND.
>
>Monarch Avalon, Inc. takes care to protect the names, appearances and
>content of all their games under the Patent Trademark and Copyright lasws
>of the United States. It is imperative that you respect our rights to
>these intellectual property assets by refraining from appropriating them
>in any way, shape of [sic] form.
>
>Sincerely,
>Lyndal Yeager
>Corporate Communications
OK. Is there a point? Granted there reply sounded abit paraniod, but I
would be abit paraniod too, if I learned that you had already invested a
chunk of time trying to re-release a publication of mine without receiving
a permission first. You could check into copyright laws and find out when
it enters public domain. I believe it would have already entered public
domain, had they not choisen to re-assert there copyright. i.e.
no reply to request + copyright older than 7 years ==> public domain
Since U.S. copyright law is based on intent and it clear they still intend
on it being copyrighted, you have to wait at least 7 more years befor a
no reply to your request means yes. Foolish you, it was a mistake to repeat
your requests. Next time just keep written proof of the first request and
hope that they either grant explicitly or fail to respond.
Meanwhile, why don't you take the engine you've built and put your own game
to it instead. It can even be of the same style, just not the same game...
i.e. Pac-Man is copyrighted by Atari, but you can still make cat and mouse
maze type games.
Have fun,
Bill
-- <A HREF=" http://physics.purdue.edu/~bcr/homepage.html "> <EM><ADDRESS> Dr. Bill C. Riemers, bcr@physics.purdue.edu </ADDRESS></EM></A> <A HREF=" http://www.physics.purdue.edu/ "> <EM> Department of Physics, Purdue University </EM></A>