Extreme Game Programming!

[Ruatha]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
And if the game is good enough, your work will be stolen by one of the big three and exploited to no end.

Now thanks.

Ok, but if you want your game stolen right NOW, you'll need to send it to one of them!

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
And if the game is good enough, your work will be stolen by one of the big three and exploited to no end.

Now thanks.

Copyright it, don't annouce it till it's done and feel safe in the fact that coorperations trying to be creative resemble robots trying to walk.

[Atrocities]

They will steal it any ways Narf. They figure that most people won't have the funds to sue them even though they have a strong case. Even if they do sue, most people do not have the long term funds to keep it going. Even if they loose the case they can always appeal and in the mean time they are producing and selling the game. When it is finally all said and done, the appeal for the game has gone, sales have slumped off so they offer a settlement.

Just look at MS did to all those young development houses and tell me that they cannot get away with it.

[Baron Munchausen]

Yep, the US 'justice system' is as market driven as everything else in the country. More money=more 'justice' but lack of money = lack of 'justice'.

This applies everywhere, not just technology. Hallmark cards noticed that Sandra Boynton's cards were selling very well, so they just copied the style for a special line of their own cards. She sued, but simply ran out of steam in court. Her small company couldn't sustain the case through the appeals process and Hallmark, the 'Microsoft' of the greeting cards business, successfully took what they wanted.

In fact it's even worse in the technology sector because of the complete lack of standards for patents on software. There is no test for 'originality' anymore. Anyone who can afford to file the patent can claim simple methods of programming taught in standard textbook as their 'intellectual property'. Rich companies like Microsoft can afford to pay lawyers to file all sorts of ridiculous patents and then when they see some new technology company appear with something they want they just find something in their product which they have '0wned' and file suit against them... and either they get a settlement 'deal' where the start-up gives them a license to use their new techniques/ideas, or they get the whole schmear when the smaller company dies from the burden of the legal bills and loses the case by default. It's now impossible to break into the computer business because of this abuse of the patent system. Anything new is eaten by the good-old-boys very quickly.

[ March 31, 2004, 20:18: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

[Wardad]

Yep,

Remember back about 20 years ago when Sears had to change their rachet design?
They lost a patent lawsuit that had persisted for decades.

TI (Texas Instruments) lost a large patent law suit over handcalulator ICs.
TI was contracted to produce someone elses original design.
Later TI designs were very similar to the original, and cheaper.

[David E. Gervais]

Hey, anyone here remember a card game by parker brothers caller "Waterworks"? I was the one who invented that. I was 14 years old and created a whole set of cards and rules. (aka a prototype Version of the game) I sent it to Parker Brothers (Yes even the prototype) and 4 months later Waterworks came out on the market. The ONLY difference between their game and mine is that I had 'Repair Cards' they used silly little wrenches that the player placed over a broken pipe to indicate it has been repaired. Oh, yeah, they sent me a letter saying they can't accepe unsolicited creative ideas, but never returned my prototype.

I was too trusting and nieve. And boy was I mad that my Idea was stollen. I eventually got over it, then in 1979 I got my first computer and had a great idea, I would get back at them for steeling my game idea by making a computer Version with actual animated water running through the pipes and it would sell millions,.. anyone want to guess who came out with the game before I could? (Lucas Arts: Pipedream) I Can't blame them though, I finished my game only about 2 weeks before them and I could not blame them for steeling my idea again. besides their silly game allowed water to flow through 4-way pipes without spilling out the side branches. What's up with that.

anyway, I digress, at least I have the satisfaction of knowing that my ideas were good enough to steal.

Cheers!

[ April 01, 2004, 20:14: Message edited by: David E. Gervais ]

[Atrocities]

This is why I favor reforming the laws and going after companies that conduct themselves like this. I feel that Microsft SHOULD have been broken up after what they pulled on Netscape and many many other companies.

How much justice are you willing to pay for? Wouldn't it be funny if Microsft was hit by that organization that monitors the use of Software legally in business? That they found Microsft violating the license agreement for there own software as well as other companies and fined them.

I would laugh so hard.