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-   Dominions 3: The Awakening (http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/forumdisplay.php?f=138)
-   -   Illwinter's next project (http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=47679)

Foodstamp October 1st, 2011 10:57 AM
Re: Illwinter's next project
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Endoperez (Post 784847)
I'm pretty sure "Beholder" name is not available for use without negotiating with Wizards of the Coast.
"They are one of the few classic Dungeons & Dragons monsters that Wizards of the Coast claims as Product Identity.[1]"

I understand it's legal to have an eye-monster that casts spell, as long as you don't call it a Beholder.
Age of Wonders has beholders; check out the level 3 unit on this page:

http://aow.heavengames.com/unitdata/...azracs_ts.html

Gandalf Parker October 1st, 2011 11:22 AM
Re: Illwinter's next project
 
They might have asked.
But good point.

brxbrx October 1st, 2011 11:46 AM
Re: Illwinter's next project
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Foodstamp (Post 784879)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Endoperez (Post 784847)
I'm pretty sure "Beholder" name is not available for use without negotiating with Wizards of the Coast.
"They are one of the few classic Dungeons & Dragons monsters that Wizards of the Coast claims as Product Identity.[1]"

I understand it's legal to have an eye-monster that casts spell, as long as you don't call it a Beholder.
Age of Wonders has beholders; check out the level 3 unit on this page:

http://aow.heavengames.com/unitdata/...azracs_ts.html
I believe that HoMMIII also has a beholder unit. You need to upgrade it from Evil Eye.

Edi October 1st, 2011 12:48 PM
Re: Illwinter's next project
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by brxbrx (Post 784882)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Foodstamp (Post 784879)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Endoperez (Post 784847)
I'm pretty sure "Beholder" name is not available for use without negotiating with Wizards of the Coast.
"They are one of the few classic Dungeons & Dragons monsters that Wizards of the Coast claims as Product Identity.[1]"

I understand it's legal to have an eye-monster that casts spell, as long as you don't call it a Beholder.
Age of Wonders has beholders; check out the level 3 unit on this page:

http://aow.heavengames.com/unitdata/...azracs_ts.html
I believe that HoMMIII also has a beholder unit. You need to upgrade it from Evil Eye.
No, you upgrade beholders to Evil Eye in HoMM3.

Beholders also appear in the Might and Magic games, at least in M&M6, which is contemporaneous with HoMM3 in terms of the timeline.

AoW has indeed got beholders.

brxbrx October 1st, 2011 01:43 PM
Re: Illwinter's next project
 
Well, the point's the same. Beholders are present in HoMMIII.

Corinthian October 1st, 2011 02:46 PM
Re: Illwinter's next project
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Endoperez (Post 784847)
I'm pretty sure "Beholder" name is not available for use without negotiating with Wizards of the Coast.
"They are one of the few classic Dungeons & Dragons monsters that Wizards of the Coast claims as Product Identity.[1]"

I understand it's legal to have an eye-monster that casts spell, as long as you don't call it a Beholder.
Wrong. You cant copyright fictional races or their names. In fact, Wizards of the Coasts themselves would not exist if it was not for this fact. WotC have replied in previous cases that races and rule-sets fall under the "you cant copyright rules and facts" exception in international copyright law. They do have copyright on characters, settings and similar things though.

thejeff October 1st, 2011 04:12 PM
Re: Illwinter's next project
 
It may be wrong, I'm no expert on copyright law, but they do claim ownership of beholders (and mind flayers.). Probably other, less famous, monsters as well.

I don't know if anyone has challenged that in court, but games using the D20 content don't include them.

Edi October 1st, 2011 05:10 PM
Re: Illwinter's next project
 
In any case it may pay to be prudent and avoid serious conflicts. Beholder as a name is interesting in that it's actually a word of the English language, so you can't copyright that, but the concept of the floating spherical monster with magic eyes that is called a beholder may in fact be specific enough to be copyrighted.

Mind flayers I'm not sure about, but that could depend a lot on how Lovecraftian their origins are. In Dominions they are mainly called starspawn and it's the same in CoE3. Illithid is a TSR/WOTC name, which appears in Dominions and it is more problematic.

brxbrx October 1st, 2011 05:23 PM
Re: Illwinter's next project
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Edi (Post 784895)
In any case it may pay to be prudent and avoid serious conflicts. Beholder as a name is interesting in that it's actually a word of the English language, so you can't copyright that, but the concept of the floating spherical monster with magic eyes that is called a beholder may in fact be specific enough to be copyrighted.

Mind flayers I'm not sure about, but that could depend a lot on how Lovecraftian their origins are. In Dominions they are mainly called starspawn and it's the same in CoE3. Illithid is a TSR/WOTC name, which appears in Dominions and it is more problematic.
Mind Flayers are only Lovecraftian in Dominions. In D&D, they're just creepy tentacle people.

But if you can't copyright monsters, then I'd say using mind flayers in-game should be fine.

brxbrx October 1st, 2011 05:23 PM
Re: Illwinter's next project
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beholder#Licensing


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