Quote:
Originally Posted by Embassy of Time
I just got back into RPG industry gossip after, you guessed it, the big Wizards of the Coast OGL 1.1 screw-up. Somewhere in the many articles I caught someone (I think Legal Eagle) say that rules cannot be copyrighted. The texts describing them can, but not the actual rules themselves. Anyone know how this works? Could SJG technically release "GURPS D&D" without WotC being able to punish them?? |
French law protects the mechanics, not just the expression of them. There was a moderately notable case of a couple boardgames, with the same mechanics, and same rules layout, but different exact wordings. The later one lost in the courts.
Legal Eagle was answering from a very strictly US point of view; other nations have different rules on rules.
A quick google shows that UK law on copyright for board games mirrors the US...
https://www.bl.uk/business-and-ip-ce...or-board-games