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| Can '70s and '80s developers obtain the rights to their games? |
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| 8BitMonk:
Interesting Gamasutra article on classic video game copyrights. Hitting the Reset Button on Video Game Copyrights http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DanRogers/20130813/198132/Hitting_the_Reset_Button_on_Video_Game_Copyrights.php |
| Fursphere:
I bet a ton of these "iconic" games where made while employees of a bigger company - therefore the rule doesn't apply. Like at the bottom of the list - Mario Brothers - doesn't the creator STILL work for Nintendo? (I think he's the CEO now?). |
| paigeoliver:
I am sure some of them will be able to, however I severely doubt if anyone is going to regain the rights to anything that has any value. In fact, it could actually be a bad thing for emulation, as some author might regain the rights to some relatively obscure title and then go on a one man mission trying to shut down mame because it emulates it. |
| ark_ader:
No. Maybe in 2110. That would be awesome and horrible in one swift action. What would it be like, to gain the rights to a video game you coded, which some fun loving bunch of programmers have sought to enable your "game" to the masses without your permission? It would be like taking a paper bag out of a river with the hopes of reusing it again. Or reclaiming a winning set of lottery numbers, that just expired. It would be funny if the video game designer took control of their copyrighted code, only for the corporate owners of the hardware to restrict access, and then having to resort to championing the efforts of the fun loving bunch of coders, instead of taking them to court. It would be one big hilarious mess. Which would never happen as corporate copyright ownership was extended to 75 years, thanks to Disney. If they could find these coders or haven't died of old age by now. Is Pacman's corporate owner Disney, Hasbro, or Namco? |
| 8BitMonk:
I'm not convinced either that there will be any ramifications either commercially or to the emulation community but thought it was an interesting read. It did make me consider how game developers are paid today and whether they are incentivized with rights to intellectual property or future income based on sales from what they help create. |
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