SoundGammon Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 (edited) Notice the "!" with the name Warlords!. Back when The Beatles were working on their movie HELP!, it was originally just called HELP, no explanation point. They were told that title was already used and couldn't use it. But what they did find out they could put an explanation point on it and it was now it was perfectly legal! So now we shown be able to rename Medieval Mayhem to Warlords! Also change Space Rocks to Asteroids! Any legal minds want to weigh in on this? Also how about Ataris name for TRAK BALL that they copyrighted but they can't touch TRACK BALL! I think I will copyright the name "ATARI!" That would be fun for sure! And there are those that "PICK-PIC-PICK"! lol Edited January 27, 2018 by SoundGammon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KaeruYojimbo Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 I completely stopped reading your post at the point where you called an exclamation mark an "explanation mark." 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 I completely stopped reading your post at the point where you called an exclamation mark an "explanation mark." ZING! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlepaddle Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 So if you want to call a game Help!, you have to use Help!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Thanks, but no thanks. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundGammon Posted January 27, 2018 Author Share Posted January 27, 2018 Thanks, but no thanks. Don't want to change the names, I just used your great games as an example! Anyone make anymore Starplex overlays for Space Rocks? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRTGAMER Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Interesting work around, but maybe not worth the chance of a homebrew game being pulled due to the legal risk? Great story on the exclamation point in the Beatles Help movie. Funny in the response of a second exclamation point. I before E except remove the C I usually post TRAKBALL instead of the presumed correct spelling probably due to owning the 5200 version for decades. I sometimes post misspelled JOYSTIK as a tease to the arcade games magazine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 So, taking this out to one of its logical extensions: If I were to rework BattleZone as Battle^Zone, would that be 100% A-OK legit and above-board? Also, would it be pronounced, "Battle-Carat-Zone" or "Battle-to-the-power-of-Zone?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacman000 Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Close enough to cause confusion = Close enough to get sued. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Close enough to cause confusion = Close enough to get sued. Yup the exclamation wouldn't be enough. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignGuy81 Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Check out my new website facebook!.com 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vidak Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 I like homebrew clones and ports having different names... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pac-Guy 26 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 I for one would recommend using a name used in a different region, so Gradius for the 2600 would be Nemesis everywhere except Europe, where it would use Gradius. Lawyers from other countries can't touch you, from what I know. Unless you want it to be called Gatana, of course. (Gradius = Gladius, Gatana = Katana) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacman000 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 How about this: Lord Wars, Zone Battle, Command Missile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I prefer new names or going the other extreme of being as illegal as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 The Beatles movie HELP! opened on July 29, 1965. That is 53.5 years ago. Would laws regarding trademarks and copyrights have remained unchanged for 50+ years? From what I understand, the title Help had been registered for a movie in the making, but I don't find any on IMDb around that era. If that is correct and perhaps an important detail, it means you'd have to claim that Warlords, Asteroids, Battlezone etc don't already exist but are games under development, and that by adding an exclamation mark, your Asteroids! will be different from the other Asteroids which may hit the market in perhaps 6 months from now. Most likely you will have a hard time claiming those games don't already exist. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feralstorm Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 I don't fully understand how trademarks work. but I KNOW they don't work like that! (<- Look, an explanation mark!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 I am totally re-releasing K.C. Munchkin! for the Odyssey2 as 'K.C. Munchkin'. Pretty sure I'm in the clear on this one. BTW: setting up Patreon for legal costs; it's unrelated, but kindly donate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 I am totally re-releasing K.C. Munchkin! for the Odyssey2 as 'K.C. Munchkin'. Similarly, I plan on re-releasing Pitfall! and Kaboom! as Pitfall and Kaboom. To be followed shortly thereafter with Pac-Man? and Galaxian?. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pac-Guy 26 Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Remove one letter and change the gameplay and graphics slightly to accommodate it. Asteroids. Remove the A and you get...Steroids! Kaizo Asteroids, anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Similarly, I plan on re-releasing Pitfall! and Kaboom! as Pitfall and Kaboom. To be followed shortly thereafter with Pac-Man? and Galaxian?. I got dibs on Pac+Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toiletunes Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Ms? Pac/Man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KaeruYojimbo Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Mario (Bros) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlepaddle Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Q@!#?@!Bert 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 E'T" ☆Wars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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