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Copyright question on a real case
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aia
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Post Posted: Sun May 15, 2022 2:55 am 
 

Hya, i found today this auction:


** expired/removed eBay auction **


This is clearly a reproduction of the TSR booklet. In the copyright page (see second pic of the auction) there is a nice and simple formula which apparently makes any copyright issue not effective.

I wonder whether or not is it a correct formula. Should it really be, then anyone would be free to print whatever he wants...

Thanks and ciaooo


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dbartman
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Post Posted: Sun May 15, 2022 10:39 am 
 

I don't know if that disclaimer would work.  Maybe the original producer could get away with it.

This seller doesn't have a history of selling these, and I don't see any additional ones that have sold on eBay, so it's likely not just a shady eBay cash grab.

At this point, it looks like it's not going to sell for what the costs to produce were initially.  We'll see where it ends up.
  

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FoulFoot
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Post Posted: Sun May 15, 2022 10:52 am 
 

Yeah, I don't know about that.

Copyright law in the U.S. is generally 72 years before it slips into the public domain, so we're nowhere near that yet.  And the argument that the producer is only doing this out of the goodness of their heart, to make the text available to the poor and underprivileged, is unlikely to qualify as "fair use".

Foul
  

jkason
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Post Posted: Sun May 15, 2022 11:24 am 
 

If I remember correctly, David Kenzer (of Kenzer & Co.) is a copyright attorney.
Give him a shout and explain what your concern is, and ask if this is a legal thing.

None of us want to support a scammer financially.


Dave, get the barbarian in the corner a drink, quick!
  
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