The Ur-Quan Masters Discussion Forum

Who currently owns the copyright to Star Control? I see that Accolade isn't even around anymore.

I believe Infogrames bought up Accolade (among other companies), along with all their assets, including the trademark Star Control.

Maybe we can convince them that the copyright is useless now, thanks to SC3, and they should let it go to the public domain?

You know  corporations, they're loathe to release anything that could make or cost them money....even if they can't figure out HOW it would make them money :-P

We could organize a riot against SC3, and burn their buildings until they give up the copyright....

Maybe they could make money off the copyright selling it to TFB.

I thought about asking them just if they had any plans to use the name in general.

Unfortunately, their website and various shootoffs therein are a bunch of disorganized messes when it comes to tracking down just a plain customer service e-mail address.  They have addresses galore to send troubleshooting problems to, and one for problems about surfing the webpage, and bunches of 800/900 phone numbers for game help, but no e-mail address just for asking questions about the corporation. :(

This is one of those corporate paradoxes:  As soon as anybody in the general public inquires, the trademark implicitly increases in value, so they'll hold on to it and try to use it.

If we're not careful, before we can blink they'll develop some cheap-ass melee knockoff, call it something like "Star Control Battles" even though the ships are totally different, and try to sell it as bargainware.  Eventually it'll end up in cereal boxes like all of the other crap they can't sell.  This would be the worst fate possible for such a venerable name.

I'm worried about us even talking about it here.  Word might get back to marketing that somebody's interested!  :-X

 :o  Oh Geez paulsid ... don't give them horrible ideas!  Especially not ones posted on an open forum such as this one!  For the sake of all who love this UQM world, censor yourself soon, please.

  You do have a point though in your last sentence, but for that very same reason, please don't suggest ideas like THAT.

scary thoughts ...

-PsiPhi

Nah, that's how marketroids think!  Actually I suspect they'd come up with something much worse.  That's the real scary part...  :)

How about you start one of those petitions? I am always seeing petitions posted around the internet for this and that at petitiononline.com

Yeah, a petition with thousands of votes is a great way to convince them that no one cares about the trade mark anymore and that they should give it away!

*cough*  ::)

My understanding was that TFB owned the copyright, but Accolade (or their new owners, whatever) owned the trademark on the name.

If that isn't correct, this project is probably illegal, as I understand these things...

Daniel

You're right.  Infogrames now owns the Star Control name, but TFB owns all the creation and design of the game.  So this project is fine and dandy since TFB gives the coders their support, as long as the name "Star Control" doesn't show up in UQM anywhere.

"Star Control" does show up in the game dialog with the human base commander, though, and maybe in the PC intro?  Been a while since I've seen it.  Do those count?

Thats actually a very good question.
Within the game, 'Star Control' is used to refer to Earth's military, presumably the interstellar, military arm of the UN, iirc, the commander mentions it several times, and perhaps the Shofixti does as well, saying something about being disciplined when he returns to Star Control HQ?
Does the fact that its being used in a different context to the game title mean that it doesn't fall under copyright? Or are TFB depending on the fact that an Accolade lawyer probably lacked enough soul to play the game extensively??

I don't think it's a big deal to have them say Star Control in the game.. I mean, that'd be like no one else being allowed to use the words dune or half-life or lunar or clerks because they're afraid to infringe on someone's copyright.

For the last mention of this from TFB that I have seen, go here:

http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~starcontrol/rpgboard/viewer.cgi/starcontrol/3D46B69D000031A6.html

even thought the name "star control" is in the game it is not a legal matter. even if it was the company would not make money by sueing. it would cost them money since the poeple who are realeasing it are doing it for free :) dp ypu understand what i am saying? ???

Wonder if we could buy it off Infogrames...
Probably not (that corporate paradox again)... though that's likely the only way they'd make money off it  ;)

Mom has to deal with copyright infringement issues a lot--she works for Hasbro--and my understanding is that the trademark in this case only applies to products.  In other words, you can have a group called Star Control in any game, but you could not ever have any game called Star Control--even if it had nothing to do with the game we know--unless you had Infogrames' permission.  Trademarks are there to prevent other people from releasing a product with the same name to steal your business, so unless it was something in competition, it wouldn't really be an issue.

Though I agree with you in theory for the enforcement of copyright and trademarks, in practice what would happen if someone put a big Coca-Cola sign on the side of an Ur-Quan Dreadnaught?  

There have already been for-free ventures that have been censored or shut down for using copyrighted or trademarked material--in realms where the trademark doesn't normally apply.

Like Coca-Cola.  How can that apply to an fps?  I mean, that's a SOFTDRINK company, right?  Well, that and even the name of the ATeam, creators of Action Quake 2 (http://aq2.action-web.net/) had problems with that type of material.  The logo was in a map billboard and was changed, the name of the ATeam was also changed.

While in theory I agree with you, companies have much more money than someone like me and they can screw me no matter what--better to play it as safe as possible, I think.

Granted, I don't think Infogrames cares at all about StarControl in-game or probably even as a product name, but that doesn't mean the potential for pain isn't there.  It just takes one bored lawyer who needs something to do...

Corporation *parties* do not *enjoy the sauce*.  They do insist that we *enjoy the sauce*.  We become *tired*.

Corporation *parties* are many *bubbles* but act like *fingers*.  They believe this *playground* belongs to them.  They are constantly *squeezing the juice* for what they *enjoy*.

It would be good to *dance* with them, but they will not *dance* fairly.  They are *silliest cows*.  They make us *frumple*.  Very *frumple*.

Or, to put it another way...

Corporation *silly cows* have many *fingers* in *slow time* *heavy space*. They are *squeezing the juice* but not for us. This makes us *frumple*.
Well, it's better than *silly cow* Enron.

*Enjoy* the *sauce*!

-- andrewjb, *Alliance party* Orz linguist