Battlezone Forums

Nielk1 wrote:I have to point out that Biometal isn't exactly a trademark.

Neither was "Scrolls;" that didn't stop Bethesda from suing Mojang.

WIP screen of the Space Cruzer:



and a no normal render of the front sign:



and a WIP with no texture of the Bionite Hauler:



and the final texture for the Fatty:



the turbines on either side of the Fatty are for strafe fighting and +Z-axis manuvers. Bionite does have some properties similar to biometal, but we added a little more......

If we make something that looks like the Fatty and stick it in a BZ2 mod you aren't going to come after us like Bethesda are you?

There are already units like that in games today. So it wouldnt be in their own best interest to raise too much attention about it

I think there's much too much hand-wringing about what large game developers might think.

If Activision, Atari or even Bethesda are worried about what is done to a 12 year old game engine by a dozen or so guys to entertain another dozen or so guys, they have their priorities severely in the wrong place.

Unlike copyrights, trademarks are lost if not defended. Thus, it is in companies' best interests to defend them. Even if infringement seems small or innocuous.

-- GSH

In the case of Biometal doesnt that mean they can use it freely?
Havent seen any [potential trademark holder] game that uses Biometal for some years now

'Kahless', a long time BZ1 player is wrapping up a novel on the BZ1 universe, he says he was asked to turn over a healthy percentage of his profits if any word, phrase or likeness related to BZ was used.

In his case, being sued probably would have accelerated the popularity of the novel, even if he lost most of the profit. Then write another and have name recognition.

As long as these guys dont go too far, the same might apply to them as well.
Who knows them now? Some longforgotten BZ-fora users? Wont make much of a profit from just those

Edit: BFT, do you know who send that 'request' to Kahless?

Just reply to one of his threads over in BZC, he checks in every few days.

Nielk1 wrote:If we make something that looks like the Fatty and stick it in a BZ2 mod you aren't going to come after us like Bethesda are you?

of course not! i think that would be awesome to see a version of the Fatty in a BZ-mod. That would be way cool.

'Kahless', a long time BZ1 player is wrapping up a novel on the BZ1 universe, he says he was asked to turn over a healthy percentage of his profits if any word, phrase or likeness related to BZ was used.

Are there really army's of parasitic lawyers searching every dark corners of the multimedia world searching for someone to sue? "word, phrase or likeness" is an extremely vague concept. Just about every Sci fi movie/pc game ever made nicked dozens of idea's from all over the place, but mostly from the highly imaginative authors of sci fi books, who never get anything for having their creations pillaged and reinvented as a movie or computer game.
Still not to much problem not mentioning "BattleZone" and they would have real hard time claiming concepts such as semi sentient metal or hovering vehicles, International Space Defence Force is hardly unique and neither is Scion, in fact there is very little in the bz world that could not have been justifiably claimed by other people, had they been pathetic enough to try it on.

I believe he made the 'mistake' of asking permission.

Shoulda waited for them to come to him...

At that point they could have come at him with more than mere words ...