Is there such a thing as a Public Copyright?

[Honza]

With my 2nd edition Iwo map nearly finished I'm thinking that I will scan both editions and start sending them out, or make them available for download. My query is what type of copyright should be on them? I can simply write: Copyright - Jan Rychetnik upon them and give my permission to print them out. But I do remember Fort once saying that there is such a thing as a Public Copyright.

What I don't want is for someone to start producing them and selling them for money without my permission (namely CH!). So how do I make them available to ASL players without that danger?

Because the whole subject of an Iwo Jima CG is a highly specialised subject - particularly at the scale I'm working on - I don't think it is worth approaching a TPP to publish the module. A free download would suffice considering very few people will ever undertake to play the CG.

So that's my query. What copyright should the free download be? Thanks!

 

[Robin Reeve]

You could have watermark "playtest copy" mentions all over the map.

 

[SonOfTheNorth]

Completely free = Public Domain

However, you completely give up all rights to the work. (So if someone else decides to sell your work as their own, you'll have no recourse).

You may want to look at: http://copyleft.org/

and

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

 

[witchbottles]

There is a public domain - GNU license that can be applies to software ( including maps images). It is rather wide open, but allows one to specify that the open source provided ( the image files in this case) cannot be sold by anyone, and must be freely distributed only. You may also specify in it that the creator's tag and statement about it being public domain material must accompany it if anyone chooses to host or mirror it in another location on the internet. This may be your best bet.

You can host it on your own cloud or website with a copyright statement reading "all rights reserved. You may download and print this image at no cost for personal use only. No portion of this image can be sold without the express written permission of the author." - that is a more restrictive view - and stops mirroring from other websites without your express written permission. You would print that on your weblink, and on the actual document itself, preferably along a board edge artwork or some such. People may cheat at times ( they always do it seems), but no one owning a business is going to tangle with such a restriction, there is too much liability, and too many pay only when you win attorneys willing to pursue liability only claims. That restrictive rights reserved offers you the best protection. It is why you see it in similar form on anything Avalon Hill or MMP have printed that allows you to photocopy it for your personal use ( i.e the minimaps for HASLs perimeter drawing, cave complex setup sheet, Cg Rosters, etc.)

Finally is public domain all rights released version. If you go that route, someone may and can decide to print and sell your work at a later date without your specific permission, because you released the copyright in all claims into the public domain.

I recommend you take a look at the DMCA as adopted by the European Union ( dig enough and you can find info on it for free from most government websites) - then determine what concept you wish to apply.

Finally, remember not every nation is a signatory to the DMCA. You might find your stuff being printed and sold in say Bangladesh, or Equatorial Guinea (as an example only, there are others) with no recourse. You roll with the punches there.

Do a little research, find what you desire. Decent and common forum GNUs that can be adjusted for language exist on many public use websites if you decide to go that route.

KRL, Jon H

 

[WuWei]

With my 2nd edition Iwo map nearly finished I'm thinking that I will scan both editions and start sending them out, or make them available for download. My query is what type of copyright should be on them? I can simply write: Copyright - Jan Rychetnik upon them and give my permission to print them out. But I do remember Fort once saying that there is such a thing as a Public Copyright.

What I don't want is for someone to start producing them and selling them for money without my permission (namely CH!). So how do I make them available to ASL players without that danger?

Place them under an appropriate licence, like CC-BY-NC: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/
That means everyone can use, adapt and distribute your work as long as they give you credit and don't make money with it.

Full licence text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/legalcode

 

[Honza]

Public licenses seem to get complicated. If the map had "Copyright - Jan Rychetnik" upon it would that suffice? Particularly if I gave permission to download and print?

 

[R Hooks]

Public licenses seem to get complicated. If the map had "Copyright - Jan Rychetnik" upon it would that suffice? Particularly if I gave permission to download and print?

I'm Not a lawyer but I thought about becoming one, to be honest even if you have the best copy write on earth, you have to be willing to spend money to defend it. That sounds like what you want to avoid, I'd say print on the map and hope for the best.

you can put the copy write statement in the art work, say a line of tree shapes on a unused map edge.

 

[peterk1]

Public licenses seem to get complicated. If the map had "Copyright - Jan Rychetnik" upon it would that suffice? Particularly if I gave permission to download and print?

For most purposes it should be. Even the existence of your threads on here help to prove that you are the owner of the material.
For a little bit more assurance, you can go see a notary or drop a copy in an envelope and mail it to yourself.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_man's_copyright

Hypothetical question - If someone did copy your map and started selling it would you actually take them to court? I doubt your lawyer's fees would be less than the damages you would receive.

 

[echack]

IP law is complicated. The Creative Commons license and the like were formed to do exactly what you want to do. IANAL, but I know that in the US you have a copyright on anything you create, when you create it. However, you can't do much except stop an infringer unless you mark it and register it. I have been told that you can't get damages if the copyright isn't marked and registered.

I'd look at one of the Creative Commons licenses. They are simple, easy to use, and were written by lawyers. How well they work in the EU and UK is not known to me. They certainly work in the US, probably the largest marked for ASL.

 

[Martin Mayers]

If you're serious about the issue you need to get proper legal advice on the subject rather than internet message forum advice.

Band I'm in have protected our music....it was not a straightforward process and not something a few chit chats on band forums could have resolved.

Alternatively, as some on here have stated, you just take your chances and be grown up about it when those shysters at Critical Sh1t inevitably rip your work off (and, if your game is good, and you didn't protect it, why wouldn't they ???)

 

[WuWei]

Public licenses seem to get complicated.

If you dig deep, it gets really complicated. If you just want to share your work and not bother much, it's dead easy:
Just go to: https://creativecommons.org/choose/ and select the stuff you want others to be able to do with your work. Then copy&paste the licence. For example:
"This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License." or "This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License." Add a little icon, and a lot of people will know at first glance what they are allowed to do with it:

or

 

[Honza]

Alternatively, as some on here have stated, you just take your chances and be grown up about it when those shysters at Critical Sh1t inevitably rip your work off (and, if your game is good, and you didn't protect it, why wouldn't they ???)

Sounds like it would almost be an insult if they didn't!

 

[Honza]

I'll go for :- "Copyright - Jan Rychetnik. All rights reserved. You may download and print this image at no cost for personal use only. No portion of this image can be sold without the express written permission of the author."

Thankyou for the input.

 

[Honza]

Just noticed that there is no copyright label on Lone Canuck's ASL for fun maps. So obviously George is happy to leave the issue alone.

 

[Jazz]

I'll go for :- "Copyright - Jan Rychetnik. All rights reserved. You may download and print this image at no cost for personal use only. No portion of this image can be sold without the express written permission of the author."

Thankyou for the input.

And what would you do if someone did copy it and sell it without your permission?

 

[Pitman]

As others have suggested, Creative Commons is probably the way to go.

 

[Honza]

And what would you do if someone did copy it and sell it without your permission?

What could I do? The copyright is present on the image and states my intentions and the legal situation. Any infringement would hopefully be frowned upon by the consumer and make such an enterprise pointless. If the image is freely available then it is unlikely anyone will earn money trying to sell it. Particularly if it is against the copyright. However CH's trick is to re-draw maps and publish them as their own. I guess I will just do my bit and see what happens.

 

[Martin Mayers]

What could I do? The copyright is present on the image and states my intentions and the legal situation. Any infringement would hopefully be frowned upon by the consumer and make such an enterprise pointless. If the image is freely available then it is unlikely anyone will earn money trying to sell it. Particularly if it is against the copyright. However CH's trick is to re-draw maps and publish them as their own. I guess I will just do my bit and see what happens.

Going back to music, we're good friends of a band from across in Yorkshire....they don't copywrite their stuff but did put on their first album "you can freely plagarise our music but if you do we're all big guys and we'll find you and duff you up". So far they haven't been plagarised :laugh:

Maybe that's the only thing Critical Crook might understand ?

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Just noticed that there is no copyright label on Lone Canuck's ASL for fun maps. So obviously George is happy to leave the issue alone.

You don't need to put a copyright notice on anything in order for it to be protected by copyright. It is part of publishing something. If someone else came along and printed George's maps and sold them, they'd be in violation of his copyright, whether or not he asserted it.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I'll go for :- "Copyright - Jan Rychetnik. All rights reserved. You may download and print this image at no cost for personal use only. No portion of this image can be sold without the express written permission of the author."

Thankyou for the input.

Suggest you read up on the Berne Convention.

Treaty here:

http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/ip/berne/

and the WP article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berne_Convention