HAR HAR! Planescape: Torment is mine, suckers!

I'm wondering what the chances of OMM sucking up a lawsuit are, though.

>>I'm wondering what the chances of OMM sucking up a lawsuit are, though.

I can't see why -- they're basically selling the right to have your name associated with a game in print on their own website. The publisher would have a hard time showing any damages sustained.

Well, they are making money off of other people's copyrights. If I registered TSG's Age of Empires III, and paid money for it, OMM is profiting in a small way from associating my name to someone else's copyrighted material or trademark.

AFAIK, it is illegal to make income from anybody's copyrighted title unless it falls under fair comment laws - i.e., selling a book "Daikatana: The Inside Story" would be OK.

Are they joking on the FAQ when they say this is not a joke? Sometimes I don't know when they are.

They're making a statement (as they always do) about how silly it is that you can just put your name in front of a title and make it "yours".

If I'm not mistaken, the reason American McGee's Alice is named as such is because ALICE could not be used due to its trademarked (copyrighted?) name being associated with Alice in Wonderland. By putting "American McGee's" in front of that word, they have trademarked (copyrighted?) a different name for a work based on the original copyright. Legally they're ok, but they also retain the connotation and name recognition they want.

So OMM is probably fine with doing this AND as Erik and friends always do successfully, they stick a red hot poker in the eye of the companies and in this case even the government!

I'm sure they'll cease and desist right away if there is cause to. Seriously though, this is just one more shot at the silliness in the games industry and the entertainment industry in general.

My favorite lines...

• Upon purchase, an official press release announcing the game's title change will be sent to the Internet's remaining professional game magazines and the major gaming news sites. These sites currently include CGM, Gamespot, IGN, Bluesnews, Evil Avatar, and Quarter to Three.
• A special version of the press release for young readers will be sent to VoodooExtreme.

I think it's a little obscure personally. I don't think most gamers sit around shaking their heads at the nerve of American McGee naming his Alice game as he did.

I'm a big fan of OMM, but ... this seems to be much ado about nothing. Unless it's truly a money making scam, in which case I wish them mad cash and all the luck in the world.

"If I'm not mistaken, the reason American McGee's Alice is named as such is because ALICE could not be used due to its trademarked (copyrighted?) name being associated with Alice in Wonderland."

I think you are mistaken. I'm sure the makers of the 1970's sitcom "Alice" (and it's spin-off "Flo") aren't the litigating type ... (I mean, they're so funny!) so they'd probably leave a video game alone.

-Andrew

I knew someone would call me on that. It's not exactly as I said it, but from Tom Chick's preview of the game at CGM...

"McGee sounds a little embarrassed that the game is being called American McGee�s Alice, but he says it�s for trademark reasons. Since Lewis Carroll�s work is public domain, Electronic Arts needs some way to give this interpretation of the Carroll world a unique and legally defensible brand name. Hence, American McGee�s Alice."

--Dave

If Carroll's work is public domain, why do they need a legally defensible brand name? Your post *seems* to indicate that you think it's because they'll have to defend it against some other "Alice in Wonderland" property (like Disney).

Actually I think "legally defensible" means they can prevent other people from stealing American McGee's (painfully obvious) "Dark Alice" concept.

Still, they could have accomplished THAT by calling it "Dark Alice in Wonderland" or something like that.

Maybe they just liked the sound of "American McGee's Alice". Because, he does have a good name. Anyway it's certainly not for they same reason they bandy about Sid Meier's name.

or even John Romero's (Daikatana - which is the full title)...

-Andrew

Just to show how much I appreciate you pointing that out, I'm going to purchase the title following title right now:

"Andrew Bub's John Romero's Daikatana"

A bargain at $25!

These aren't copyright but trademark issues.

From the little blurb they included on the OMM page then it appears to be just a way to generate same cash to keep the website going:

"While other crybaby content providers were busy looking for handouts, we decided to do something constructive about this Internet crisis."

Sure, it's the equivalent of handouts, but it's a great idea and I hope the make some money at it. Who wouldn't want their name in lights. QT3 should ask for some kickbacks if they use the "proper names" for all the games that they discuss.

"These aren't copyright but trademark issues."

Uh yeah, Dave was pretty clear about that.

The American McGee stuff is mainly just because Alice is the most flagrant use of X's Game X I could think of. The IGR is really more of a comment on the craziness of making a business out of registering lights in the sky - something I'd been thinking a lot about recently. Also, websites are all crying poor, but nobody's attempting any entertaining get rich quick schemes. Even the humor sites just get real maudlin and embarrassed and then the begging starts. Screw that. We made a promise that if we ever asked you for money, we'd at least show you enough respect to assume we'd have to trick you out of it. It turns out, we found a happy medium by providing an overlooked but apparently *very* desirable service. Next time, prepare for tricking.

I thought it was notable you didn't include Sid Meier in your list. At least he earned the "X's Game X" thing, I suppose, even though "Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, A Brian Reynolds Design" is a cumbersome title. At least he skipped the exclamation point on that one...

There you go Erik.
Now charge an extra $10-25 to register a "___ Design" to the end of every game title.

-Andrew
PS: I'd actually love it if you bought me the Daikatana credit Tim! I'd like:

"Andrew Bub's Daikatana, a Stevie Case Design" please.

'Scuse me. Ruined my own "joke" there.

Andrew Bub's John Romero's Daikatana, a Stevie Case Design

-Andrew Bub's John Romero.

"Andrew Bub's John Romero's Daikatana, a Stevie Case Design"

You think we can squeeze the word "bitch" in there anywhere? I'm reaching for my wallet now.

"Andrew Bub's John `I'm gonna make you my bitch` Romero's Daikatana, a Stevie Case Design, a John `I'm gonna make you my bitch` Romero production."

LOL, OMM is gonna charge me extra to add the tag line for Romero, but what the hell. You're gonna be famous, Bub.

-Tim

I'm not already famous?

Seriously, if you do it I'll devote this month's GDR column to interviewing you and Stevie Case for industry reaction.

-Andrew "is going to make you his... friend."