At 07:30 PM 8/2/00 -0700, you wrote:
>There has been a lot of discussion about the specific issue of whether or
>not a notice such as:
>
>"This product is compatible with Dungeons & Dragons(R)."
>
>Is a legal (and ethical) thing to put on the cover of a roleplaying game
>(with or without the "This trademark is not used with permission" clause.)
>
>These are my reasons for believing that it is neither.
>
>For 99% of the goods in the world, the application of the trademark laws are
>pretty straightforward for most types of commercial goods. You cannot, for
>example, produce a car and call it a "Ford"; no matter how much you disclaim
>ownership or permission of that mark.
>
Ryan, you are missing something. I'm sure someone else has pointed this
out, but you can make a MUFFLER that will fit on a Ford, and you can indeed
say "This muffler is compatible with the following Ford vehicles: xxxx,
which is exactly what a supplement publisher is saying when they say "This
supplement is compatible with the following games". Everyone understands
when I say "This RICKS MUFFLER will fit on a Ford Mustang" that Ford did
not make that muffler, or even approve of it. That's why you have
advertising for "Genuine GM Parts".
Flying Buffalo Inc/PO Box 1467/Scottsdale, AZ 85252 USA
Ph: 480-945-6917 /FAX:480-994-1170 /Ans Mach: 480-994-0658
www.flyingbuffalo.com *IMPORTANT* new area code 480 as of Sept 1, 1999
send gameturns to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] alt: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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