Sp*c* M*r*n*s

[6milPhil]

GW gets heavy handed?

"British company Games Workshop, well known for producing tabletop wargames and other products set in various fantasy universes, has claimed that it owns the idea of future space marines and that nobody can write books featuring astro-bootnecks* without its consent.

Last December the company succeeded in getting the novel Spots the Space Marine removed from Amazon's Kindle e-book store on the basis that it infringed on trademarks held by Games Workshop. These trademarks are based on the company's Warhammer 40K fictional far-future setting, which it uses in various products. These include tie-in novels depicting the exploits of the space marines of that universe, also known as the "Adeptus Astartes".

As any reader of science fiction will know, the idea of future space marines is a staple of the genre and was commonly used by writers from the 1930s onward - well prior to the existence of Games Workshop and the creation of the Warhammer 40K setting. Examples include the space marines described by such sci-fi giants as E E "Doc" Smith and Robert A Heinlein*, plus others too numerous to list here."

Rest of the story: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/07/games_workshop_in_spurious_space_marines_claim/

[Hildred Castaigne]

The news travels quickly, eh?
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=50443.0

[Mason]

Love the thread title, Phil!
Best to be careful, eh?

 

[HerbyF]

I'm not sure and I don't know where my old rules are. But I think the term space marines was use in the old Star Guard rules, published years before Games Workshop or even Citidal existed.

[FramFramson]

Nice to see the mainstream news picking up the story.

@ Herby: The claim is particularly spurious, because in this case any reader of classic SciFi would be able to provide at least a dozen examples of the term's use before GW, without spending so much as an hour searching.

I think it's actually funny to realize that way way back in the very beginning a lot of GW's original ideas were little more than thin plagiarisations anyway! Most of the original WHFB is ripped off wholesale from Tolkien/Moorecock/etc. And of course we're talking about the fact that space marines predate GW by as much as 50 years.

I'm not actually mad about that, mind. A lot of fantasy companies and worlds get their start like that and after some time and evolution the good ones do find their own identity.

[Drachenklinge]

I think it's actually funny to realize that way way back in the very beginning a lot of GW's original ideas were little more than thin plagiarisations anyway! Most of the original WHFB is ripped off wholesale from Tolkien/Moorecock/etc. And of course we're talking about the fact that space marines predate GW by as much as 50 years.

from Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 45, printed 2411:
When in 2391 Aliens attacked earth, human civilisation was an easy target, because no military was allowed to have Space Marines*, beside GW ... and their armour-suits were not only made of plastic, but (even more problematic) only 28mm in height.
GW broke after beeing forced to pay for rebuilding the earth.

Well, I am sure, if need be, this licence will be killed.

best wishes
DK

[Pil]

It is nice to see the GW attitude towards IP getting a bit more mainstream exposure. Of course they're not defending the concept, just the name, which they registered as a trade mark twice.

The first time it was accepted in 1992 and it was only for games:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/domestic?domesticnum=1461715

The second time it was accepted in 1999 for paints/alloys/devices/papers/clothing/lace and finally games again:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ohim?ohimnum=E392886

The most interesting category has to be "Lace and embroidery, ribbons and braid; buttons, hooks and eyes, pins and needles; artificial flowers.". I wonder what they were planning.

Anyway, if in the end "Space Marine" proves to be too 'normal' to put a trade mark on I wouldn't shed a tear.

[capt.carson]

Spack Morons?

[magokiron]

Spack Morons?

 

[Dezmond]

I dunno. It isn't like people don't try to ride GWs coat tails.

http://www.frothersunite.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=38643

[Viper]

I must admit I find it fascinating how wide spread this has become. No doubt simply because it involved amazon as a 3rd party and because it involves books in general which is a far larger demographic than wargaming or miniature collecting ... not even the whole of the wargaming community cares about the chapterhouse law suit, but knocking literature that is much bigger.

I dunno. It isn't like people don't try to ride GWs coat tails.

One persons "coat tail riding" is another persons "offering something the competition isn't".

To be honest it is a good thing that ideas and general concepts aren't protected. All those amazing "not-x y or z" figures would be gone, all the weapons and vehicles, perhaps even the clothing, on historical and modern figures would be gone, unless you got official permission from the companies who manufactured the real versions of those items, own the rights to those characters and so on.

And I'm sure a fair few of those characters or items would never have existed in the first place as they were amalgamations or modifications of pre-existing things.

[Commander Vyper]

It is nice to see the GW attitude towards IP getting a bit more mainstream exposure. Of course they're not defending the concept, just the name, which they registered as a trade mark twice.

The first time it was accepted in 1992 and it was only for games:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/domestic?domesticnum=1461715

The second time it was accepted in 1999 for paints/alloys/devices/papers/clothing/lace and finally games again:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ohim?ohimnum=E392886

The most interesting category has to be "Lace and embroidery, ribbons and braid; buttons, hooks and eyes, pins and needles; artificial flowers.". I wonder what they were planning.

Anyway, if in the end "Space Marine" proves to be too 'normal' to put a trade mark on I wouldn't shed a tear.

Cosplay costume copyright?  Ridiculous.

[aliensurfer]

I dunno. It isn't like people don't try to ride GWs coat tails.

http://www.frothersunite.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=38643

oh ffs give it a rest you fakkin plum

[Mason]

oh ffs give it a rest you fakkin plum

Oh, I dont know...THAT Frothers thread nearly killed me.
I was in fits, and I still had ten pages to go....

 

EDIT: Correction. I only got to page 18.
There is a whole lot more on there now.
Off to catch up!

[Dezmond]

I dunno. I guess there are three kinds of people in the world.

People who call Marcus Fenix a Space Marine because he looks a bit like a Space Marine. People who don't realise everyone calls Marcus Fenix a Space Marine because he looks a bit like a Space Marine. And wide boys jumping up and down at the thought of being able to sell EVEN MORE GW knockoffs.