Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
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From: bbarnett@crash.cts.com (Bruce Barnett)
Subject: Old games and copyrights
Organization: CTS Network Services (CTSNET), San Diego, CA
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 15:30:07 GMT
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I have been spending several months reprogramming in Inform for PC 
compatibles a 1981-vintage text adventure game, Empire of the Over-Mind.  
Simultaneously, I've been communicating with the Monarch Avalon, the 
current incarnation of Avalon Hill, who owns the copyright to obtain 
permission.  After repeated requests I finally have their answer.  In 
view of its tone and substance I thought I would share it.  

First, here is an excerpt of my request:

------------------------------------------------
I am writing to request your permission to reprogram and release, for 
noncommercial purposes only, a very early interactive fiction computer 
game, Empire of the Over-Mind. . . .

Text-only interactive fiction games have generally lost their commercial 
appeal, but there is a loosely-organized group (a collection of 
individuals, actually, centered around two Usenet newsgroups 
(rec.arts.int-fiction and rec.games.int-fiction) who play the old games 
and program new ones.  In addition, several university computers have 
archives full of such old games--but Over-Mind is not among them.

empire of the Over-Mind was technically very primitive and the execution 
sometimes crude (due not doubt to the memory constraints . . . ).  But the 
game has a certain imagination and archaic charm attractive to those of 
us trying to keep text-based interactive fiction alive. . . .

As far a I can determine, the game was never released for IBM or 
compatible microcomputers. . . .

Specifically, my request to you is as follows:

1.  I would like your permission to reprogram and distribute Empire of 
the Over-Mind without charge to the appropriate computer archives and 
make their free availability known through the Usenet groups mentioned
above.  I am willing to include with the distribution package any 
restrictions you see fit on commercial use of the materials.  However, I 
would like to be able to permit others to make revisions to my program, 
also non-commercially. . . .

I hope you can agree to make this game available again.  I have been 
racing to complete my project before my old Apple IIe gasps its last 
gasp.  It would be a tragedy if this truly imaginative creation were to 
vanish utterly.

------------------------------------

And here, in toto, is the reply I received:

Dear Mr. Barnett:

I must inform you that it is not possible to grant your request to 
reprogram, distribute or release a non-commercial version of EMPIRE OF 
THE OVER-MIND.

Monarch Avalon, Inc. takes care to protect the names, appearances and 
content of all their games under the Patent Trademark and Copyright lasws 
of the United States.  It is imperative that you respect our rights to 
these intellectual property assets by refraining from appropriating them 
in any way, shape of [sic] form.

Sincerely,
Lyndal Yeager
Corporate Communications

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