zenten has a question

[thebitterguy]

And I figured there's a ton of you who should know the answer to this:

"Can someone copywrite a roleplaying system? I don't mean the setting, or the style, or the specific layouts, or anything like the names of things. Just the game system itself."

I'm sure this question is at the heart of the OGL n' shit.

Happy new year, if'n I don't get to mention it later.

Comments

[timgray.livejournal.com]

Yes - because any written work is automatically copyright(ed?), if you write a game book people can't just re-use chunks of your text without permission.

People who are very concerned about being able to prove copyright are sometimes advised to lodge a copy with a bank, solicitor or whatever, but this is probably excessive for most of us. Or you can post a copy to yourself and not open the envelope unless challenged, so the postmark acts as proof. But concerns about individuals or companies in the RPG field ripping off your precious ideas are largely misplaced, from what I pick up.