d20 Macross 7, Rifts, Gamma World

[Sir Elton]

I just realized something. I can create a Macross 7 campaign by converting Dave Dietrich's work to d20 using d20 Mecha, and using Mecha Crusade. Unfortunately for everyone, I'll be doing it for my own personal use. Sorry. Kevin Siembedia will use the subpoena button on me.

On the subject of Rifts, Gamma World is coming out. How many of you are willing to bet that Kevin Siembedia is having his phone on stand-by and his copyright lawyer on speed dial ready to kill any d20 Rifts Fansite when we all know that he can save money by producing a d20 Rifts book? How many are willing to bet that he's having nightmares over Gamma World d20?

 

[Ranger REG]

Gamma World is a much older IP than Rift. If anything, Wizards would be the one to stop Kevin. But honestly, both game setting are totally different.

Of course, correct me if I'm wrong by citing any approximate similarities ... as in somewhere in the tiny ballpark built for fleas, mind you.

 

[Sir Elton]

Of course, correct me if I'm wrong by citing any approximate similarities ... an in somewhere in the tiny ballpark built for fleas, mind you.

Actually, what I am alluding to is a potential increase of d20 Fansites containing Rifts. They could use the Gamma World material to help them convert Rifts, and then post that material on the web. Kevin's worst case scenario is a new Rifts d20 fansite going up on the web every three minutes; and he can only shoot down one a day.

 

[JEL]

I just realized something. I can create a Macross 7 campaign by converting Dave Dietrich's work to d20 using d20 Mecha, and using Mecha Crusade. Unfortunately for everyone, I'll be doing it for my own personal use. Sorry. Kevin Siembedia will use the subpoena button on me.

Palladium does not have, nor has ever had the rights to Macross 7. I sincerely doubt Mr. Siembieda would even care that you're making a fan M7 game. But, if you're that worried about it, then don't use some lame Robotech fansite as the basis and just do everything from scratch (there's plenty of information available on the net to work with).

 

[Ranger REG]

Actually, what I am alluding to is a potential increase of d20 Fansites containing Rifts. They could use the Gamma World material to help them convert Rifts, and then post that material on the web. Kevin's worst case scenario is a new Rifts d20 fansite going up on the web every three minutes; and he can only shoot down one a day.

* Sighs *

Yeah, and I'm sure Kevin will complain to Wizards and S&SS about the conversions to and from Rift or other Palladium's copyrighted books. AFAIC, that's his problem.

Just stay away from Rift or any of his products, including their Megaversal version of Robotech. IIRC, Palladium didn't do any Macross 7 RPG product, so just use the info straight from source (whoever owns Macross 7 intellectual properties).

 

[Dana_Jorgensen]

* Sighs *

Yeah, and I'm sure Kevin will complain to Wizards and S&SS about the conversions to and from Rift or other Palladium's copyrighted books. AFAIC, that's his problem.

Just stay away from Rift or any of his products, including their Megaversal version of Robotech. IIRC, Palladium didn't do any Macross 7 RPG product, so just use the info straight from source (whoever owns Macross 7 intellectual properties).

To top it off, Palladium doesn't even have the rights to Robotech any longer. Harmony Gold, in its continuing flailing effort to revamp Robotech into a new cash cow, decided it was going to terminate all licensing related to the original series so it could strengthen the value of licenses for a new CGI-based animated robotech series they had in development a few years back. Not fun, since just a few months prior to that, folks a Palladium announced they had three new robotech manuscripts in the pipeline, none of which say the light of overhead flourescent bulbs at any FLGS. Meanwhile, the new robotech series has seen just about as much light from your favorite cathode ray tube.

Personally, I would feel free to convert from Dave Deitrich's stuff after rereading the Palladium license carefully. It reads to me like it says that you can't post any notes or rules that can be used to convert palladium material to another game system. If you don't even mention that your Macross 7 stuff is based on palladium material who would ever really know what your source was? Just look at all the Mekton Zeta versions of macross and robotech mecha out there. Palladium hasn't moved a finger to have those taken offline.

edit:
Scratch that, I just looked at the license on the website, rather than the one on my hard drive. The current license is nebulously vague and thanks to unenforcable claimed trademarks on things like SDC and PPE, once again feeds my conspiracy theory that Palladium's IP lawyer is actually a figment of their imaginations generated by their paranoia over losing their copyrights due to infringements...

But my point still stands regardless what version of the Palladium internet policy is referred to; as long as you don't list the various source materials you used, how could they every accuse you of deriving from Palladium material?

 

[Ranger REG]

Still, that is not a safe harbor. You are gambling on the fact that Kevin Sembeida, a lone individual, can't monitor the entire internet to spot any copyright infringement. Palladium may no longer have use of Robotech trademark but they still retain copyright of the material they've written for the Robotech game. I'm sure among the devoted Palladium fan community there are Kevin's informants, aka "extra sets of eyes."

 

[Dana_Jorgensen]

Still, that is not a safe harbor. You are gambling on the fact that Kevin Sembeida, a lone individual, can't monitor the entire internet to spot any copyright infringement. Palladium may no longer have use of Robotech trademark but they still retain copyright of the material they've written for the Robotech game. I'm sure among the devoted Palladium fan community there are Kevin's informants, aka "extra sets of eyes."

Actually, the lack of a license puts some question to the validity of the copyright on the Robotech RPG at this point, since it is a derivative work developed from Harmony Gold's Robotech IP. There have been a number of cases where licensees have lost the copyrights they thought they would keep after the license expired.

And even if there are people helping Palladium monitor the internet, big deal. That won't mean a thing without proof infringement occurred.

 

[Ranger REG]

What they wrote for the Robotech Role-Playing Game based on Harmony Gold's IP is still their copyright. They just cannot claim any TRADEMARK infringement, since that is under the legal jurisdiction of Harmony Gold.

As for finding proof of infringement, you're right, the burden is on the plaintiff to prove that an infringement have occured ... in a perfect world. But all you need is a clever lawyer willing to tie up the lawsuit and drag it to the point where the defendant can't continue to fund his legal defense.

If you think Kevin Sembieda is bluffing, by all means challenge his bluff and see how far he's willing to go to court. Not that I think he would do it, but I'd like to see him on the losing side.

 

[Dana_Jorgensen]

What they wrote for the Robotech Role-Playing Game based on Harmony Gold's IP is still their copyright. They just cannot claim any TRADEMARK infringement, since that is under the legal jurisdiction of Harmony Gold.

As for finding proof of infringement, you're right, the burden is on the plaintiff to prove that an infringement have occured ... in a perfect world. But all you need is a clever lawyer willing to tie up the lawsuit and drag it to the point where the defendant can't continue to fund his legal defense.

If you think Kevin Sembieda is bluffing, by all means challenge his bluff and see how far he's willing to go to court. Not that I think he would do it, but I'd like to see him on the losing side.

Ranger REG, I think you need to go back and re-read the part of copyright law detailing derivative works. Even if Palladium wants to lay claim on the entire product line of Robotech books, it will only apply to the portions expressly detailing game mechanics. Everything else is a derivative of the works of Harmony Gold, and those are the parts that will have reverted back to HG control with the termination of the license. And considering HG is a pack of even bigger IP law-weilding thugs than Palladium could ever hope to be, I have little doubt that this is indeed the case, considering how insignificant a company Palladium was when it acquired the Robotech license.

Personally, I don't care of the people of Palladium books are bluffing or not. I think they're little more than a pack of paranoid control freaks, eminent poster children for the 14+14 copyright law reform movement. And like I said before, I suspect their IP lawyer is a figment of imagination induced by that paranoia. Why? I've seen enough copyright "discussions" personally involving the sembiedas with them making statements that are blatently wrong under even the most basic levels copyright and trademark law that if they are using a lawyer, he's obviously incompetent to be giving them such horrible advice. I won't even get started on the bad trademarks they list on various acronyms and abbreviations, like SDC, MDC, and PPE.