odinsgrandson
03-18-2011, 10:12 AM
Ok, over on the Privateer Press forums, they have had a little run in with Lone Wolf Games and the use of the term "Army Builder" as a generic term (mostly for home brewed freeware).
Lone Wolf has taken issue with the way that people on their forum use the term in their own conversations. Privateer Press responded by taking down any threads that might be offensive (and I guess this isn't worth the legal battle for them at any rate). I like that they posted the cease and desist online for us to look at.
If you'd like to have a look at their cease and desist letter, go ahead and check it out here. (http://privateerpressforums.com/showthread.php?9026-Attention-Privateer-Press-Players-New-Forum-Policy)
In this particular case, it is like having issue with the way that people use the term Klenex for any brand tissue, or how people in the southern US use Coke to refer to any soft drink.
I know that in fiction, writers are protected from this sort of lawsuit. Fiction writers can use these terms the way that people actually use them. But I don't understand why forums cannot do the same. I mean, they're going after the fans who are posting on the forums (it isn't like Privateer Press is using the term).
Of course, it is a game that Army Builder doesn't support, so maybe they feel like there isn't enough cross over audience that it matters if they burn a bunch of Warmachine players. But so often in gaming lawsuits, the base assumption is that the fans are the enemy.
Now, altogether I don't understand why game properties need to be so closely guarded. We see lots of this kind of action from Games Workshop (sometimes for real intellectual property infractions, and sometimes not). It looks like Chapterhouse Studios is going to fight them for it, but most of the time when someone gets a cease and desist order, it is just done with.
Why is it that people feel the need to guard their intellectual properties against their fans so much in the game industry? Is it like this in other industries too?
Lone Wolf has taken issue with the way that people on their forum use the term in their own conversations. Privateer Press responded by taking down any threads that might be offensive (and I guess this isn't worth the legal battle for them at any rate). I like that they posted the cease and desist online for us to look at.
If you'd like to have a look at their cease and desist letter, go ahead and check it out here. (http://privateerpressforums.com/showthread.php?9026-Attention-Privateer-Press-Players-New-Forum-Policy)
In this particular case, it is like having issue with the way that people use the term Klenex for any brand tissue, or how people in the southern US use Coke to refer to any soft drink.
I know that in fiction, writers are protected from this sort of lawsuit. Fiction writers can use these terms the way that people actually use them. But I don't understand why forums cannot do the same. I mean, they're going after the fans who are posting on the forums (it isn't like Privateer Press is using the term).
Of course, it is a game that Army Builder doesn't support, so maybe they feel like there isn't enough cross over audience that it matters if they burn a bunch of Warmachine players. But so often in gaming lawsuits, the base assumption is that the fans are the enemy.
Now, altogether I don't understand why game properties need to be so closely guarded. We see lots of this kind of action from Games Workshop (sometimes for real intellectual property infractions, and sometimes not). It looks like Chapterhouse Studios is going to fight them for it, but most of the time when someone gets a cease and desist order, it is just done with.
Why is it that people feel the need to guard their intellectual properties against their fans so much in the game industry? Is it like this in other industries too?