[Freeciv] Re: copyright issue

[Tomasz Wegrzanowski <maniek@xxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, Jul 19, 2000 at 11:11:25AM -0300, Lalo Martins wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 19, 2000 at 11:21:20PM +1000, David Pfitzner wrote:
> > "Brandon Van Every" wrote:
> > 
> > >  Rules are copyrightable intellectual property in case you're not aware.
> > 
> > This seems a strong claim to me, since the usual explanation of 
> > copyright is that it protects _expression_, and not, for example,
> > ideas.  So I could see that specific text describing the rules 
> > would be protected by copyright (eg, a game manual), but not the 
> > abstract rules themselves.  OTOH it could be that "game rules" are 
> > protected as intellectual property in some other way (that is, other 
> > than copyright), which would be interesting to hear.  IANAL etc.
> 
> IANAL too, but last time we checked game rules *could* be
> *patented*. If they are not actively patented, then they are
> under no intellectual property protection.

*Inventions* can be patented.
You can patent *idea* under rules,
not rules *text* themself (what is copyrightable),
nor rules maning (no IP at all, 1st amendment etc.).

> Are the Civ/CivII rules patented?

No, they aren't.