Weird hypothetical question about Slime Volleyball

burnambill333burnambill333
in Collector's Corner
If a company were to release a commercial release version of Slime Volleyball, could they potentially have legal issues? The author of the original java game is still anonymous. This is just a hypothetical question only at the moment and i'm hoping for an answer from somebody who knows their stuff about legality and copyright! (ie: bunnyboy)

Comments

  • ZzapZzap
    Well, according to this site (quick google search) it was created by Quin Pendragon and Daniel Wedge (even states that in the actual java applet) http://oneslime.net/.



    If they wished to take legal action against anyone duplicating their work I'm sure it would be in their rights to do so.
  • burnambill333burnambill333
    Originally posted by: Zzap

    Well, according to this site (quick google search) it was created by Quin Pendragon and Daniel Wedge (even states that in the actual java applet) http://oneslime.net/.



    If they wished to take legal action against anyone duplicating their work I'm sure it would be in their rights to do so.


    Yes, Quin Pendragon and Daniel Wedge did create that Slime Volleyball, but that is not the original Slime Volleyball. That is just their version of it. The original author is still anonymous.
  • ZzapZzap
    Ah, I'm up to speed now image http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bartle/



    Well it has made it to the XBox Live Marketplace, so I guess they would be a bigger target for the original developer (if he/she cared).



    http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/offers/00000001-0000-4000-8000-00005855017d?partner=RSS
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    Somebody would pay money for that game?
  • MartonMarton
    Originally posted by: arch_8ngel

    Somebody would pay money for that game?

    If it was on NES, some would for sure.

  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    It would hardly represent the state-of-the-art in NES homebrew.



    It would be neat to download and play on a PowerPak, but I think people are starting to expect a little more for their money.
  • burnambill333burnambill333
    Not on the NES... I'm making Slime Sports DS for Nintendo DS strictly for educational purposes and as a portfolio piece but I'm updating the graphics and there's 7 Slime games total and you unlock stuff and whatnot and i want to know about the possibility of giving it a commercial release. Maybe a $14.99 DS title or something? I know a few people i used to go to school with that are releasing a Tangrams game for NDS in March with a $14.99 price tag which is what gave me the idea.
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    What channels are they using for release? I would assume that the publisher (if you could find one) would be able to give you a straight answer. The wouldn't be willing to publish something that they could be sued for releasing.



    Seriously, though, if somebody is already selling some of the "slime" games on XBLA, I would be more worried about the hassle of dealing with them, rather than the original (anonymous) author. Not that they would win a lawsuit on the issue, but they could still give you a headache, and may be able to muscle you out of the game.

    EDIT:  nm about the XBLA guys...they look like a bunch of amateurs.  I can't believe somebody would pay money to download what they're offering.
  • TheLostEyeballTheLostEyeball
    I hated the slime games image
  • burnambill333burnambill333
    Originally posted by: arch_8ngel

    EDIT:  nm about the XBLA guys...they look like a bunch of amateurs.  I can't believe somebody would pay money to download what they're offering.


    lol i'm nothing but an amateur myself image image



    Originally posted by: TheLostEyeball

    I hated the slime games image


    i was addicted to them when i was in high school. image
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    Nick there is nothing wrong with BEING an amateur, as long as you don't LOOK like an amateur. Those XBLA guys are asking people to pay money for something that looks worse than MANY things that can be played for FREE on the internet.



    As long as your game had some polish (crisp graphics that looked at least 16-bit, decent sound/music, and a solid interface), I don't think you would fall into the category of LOOKING like an amateur.
  • burnambill333burnambill333
    I'll show you guys a demo when it's ready but currently it does NOT look amateurish. I'd say it has that Genesis/SNES look to it as everything I do is sprite based because i can't do 3D with the dev kit i'm using, but it is polished off and looks nice. Right now i'm just ripping sprites from other games... obviously i would have to change that if i were to give it a commercial release. Although right now i think it's a pipe dream more than anything.



    I'm still looking for a definitive answer about this, but you guys have definitely helped so far image. I didn't know about the XBL Arcade game, but if they did it then I'm assuming I could too


    Nick
  • arch_8ngelarch_8ngel
    Why don't you change all of the slimes to slugs, or something?



    You can't copyright gameplay or rules.
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