It's funny you should bring this topic up again Dark. It just so happens
that yesterday morning my brother and I had a bit of a discussion about this
very thing. We were discussing that classic computer game Prates! which was
apparently remade a few years back, and my thoughts on how neat it would be
if a game in that style could be made for us blind gamers. The question was
why accessibility to the blind was such an abhorrent concept to mainstream
game designers. I refuse to say alien since we've been trying to explain it
to them for years and most refuse to listen.
----- Original Message -----
From: "dark" <d...@xgam.org>
To: "Gamers Discussion list" <gamers@audyssey.org>
Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 9:06 PM
Subject: Re: [Audyssey] Copywrite and abandonware
Hi Tom.
This is a case where I'd absolutely apply to the spirit of the ethical
thinking behind the initial law, not the law itself.
To give a symple example of this sort of thinking, ---- one in fact from
Mary Warnock's book on ethics (herself both an ethicist and member of the
house of lords), imagine a law banning all vehicles from a park.
Following this law strictly, this would not only count cars and trucks,
but also vehicles such as bicycles and skateboards.
Someone could reasonably argue that the spirit of the law, ---- allowing
people to enjoy a public park without fear of being run over or
disturbence from motor noise, is not being violated by the use of a
skateboard.
In this symple case the law can just be changed appropriately, --- -but in
the case of copywrite law as you've said yourself, the case isn't that
symple.
My own thinking on this subject is that copywrite law is to A, prevent
plagerism or taking of creddit for someone else's work, and B, allow a
commercial enterprise to receive some sort of payment for the creative
service of providing said copywrited material (often imho this gets
extreme with large corperations and hollywood, but that's another debate
entirely).
Obviously here we're mostly concerned with option B.
My thinking is that a company or individual cannot claime any legitimate
loss of prophit and/or due creddit where they themselves do not seak to
obtain any.
While there are cases, --- such as when I tried to buy a dvd of the Lion
King this Christmas to find it utterly unavailable sinse a remastered
version is in the works, where a creative project may be unavailable for a
comparatively short time, in these casis the company has a vested interest
in stating that the creative project will be available.
In casis such as infocom, old games and out of print books however, this
arguement does not apply.
Of course there has to be a reasonable delaybbefore things become public
domain, ---- in the publishing industry for example it ranges from country
to country to anything betwene 30 and 50 years after the author's death,
however in these days of fast communication and easy distribution, it
strikes me the delay should be much shorter.
This is why i've frequently donated to things like project.aon and some of
my favourite websites,while at the same time I freely admit I have quite a
bit of copywrited material kicking around.
Btw, Applied to disability, there is also the huge mire of access. For the
past 20 years, copywrite law and the greed of the publication industry who
may or may not wish to release overpriced audio versions of books has
played a massive part in unavailability of audio in the Uk.
While the situation is slowly improving, it's a long long loooong! way
behind what it is in the states.
Accessible computer games I'd view in a similar light I think. Afterall,
it's not as if we can all go out and make money for activision's
successors by buying their latest games.
Beware the Grue!
Dark.
---
Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org
If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to
gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org.
You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at
http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org.
All messages are archived and can be searched and read at
http://www.mail-archive.com/gam...@audyssey.org.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the
list,
please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
---
Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org
If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org.
You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at
http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org.
All messages are archived and can be searched and read at
http://www.mail-archive.com/gam...@audyssey.org.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list,
please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.