So here comes some cheap advice for aspiring IF authors who don't
want to bother too much about this legal stuff:
1) Copyright Notice: INFOCOM included it into the banner of their
games, for good legal reasons, and most new games stick with the
tradition. The notice should read somewhat like this:
Copyright <YEAR(S)> by <AUTHOR>. Type "licence" for information
about the terms of usage and distribution of this game.
It's not necessary to use the widespread '(c)', but it doesn't hurt
either. The phrase 'All rights reserved' may also be safely left out.
Recent games tend to miss the second part of the proposed text
(probably because no such thing ever appeared in the INFOCOM games
which had the licence printed right on the box), but shouldn't. You
want to impose a set of conditions on the user (for instance not to
sell the game for profit) and this is legally done by contract. A
contract, legally defined as an agreement between author and user, is
invalid until properly noticed and assented by the player. Thus, our
texts makes the player aware of the licence in the first place.
Fearful souls may add a line like "By playing or distributing <GAME>
you indicate your acceptance of the licence.", but IMO the aesthetical
loss outweighs any legal gaining. Also, if you want to make sure, you
may explicitly mention the absence of warranty here (Christminster
does), but again I don't think it is strictly necessary (considering
the relatively small number of players as well as the overall
non-commercial touch of IF).
2) The licence agreement: The following text is intended to be a first
draft. Most of the input came from Julian Arnold. However, I took the
professional responsibility for the job, so faults may be blamed on
me:
INTERACTIVE FICTION FREEWARE GENERAL PUBLIC LICENCE
Release 1 / 951201
Notice: <GAME> is subject to a disclaimer of liability (see below
at point 4).
1. This licence grants you the right to play and distribute <GAME>
under certain conditions as outlined below. You cannot use this
software if you do not agree with these conditions. If you have
any queries about the licence, please contact me. At the time of
writing I may be reached via email...
2. <GAME>, including any and all associated files as well as any
output produced via the Script command, is copyright <YEAR(S)> by
<AUTHOR>.
3. You are allowed to play <GAME> and make copies for your personal
use without restrictions. You may also copy and distribute <GAME>
in any medium, as long as <GAME> and all associated files are
kept unmodified. You may charge a reasonable fee for the physical
act of transferring a copy, and the cost of the media.
You are not allowed to distribute <GAME> commercially (i.e., for
profit), whether as a stand-alone product, or as part of a
compilation or anthology without prior permission. However, if
you wish to do so, feel free to contact me.
4. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: <GAME> is distributed and licenced free
of charge, and there is no warranty, either express or implied.
The author does not guarantee the suitability of <GAME> for any
particular purpose and is not responsible for any loss or damage
caused by the use of or inability to use <GAME>.
Well, that's it. If you have any comments or suggestions, please email
me or reply here. Are there additional objectives to be covered by
the licence? Are there legal objections? (being a German environmental
lawyer I may have missed some points in international licencing law.)
Thanks in advance.
- Martin (100106.2673@compuserve.com)