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Sokoban Clone

by Abimael Avila · in General Discussion · 12/20/2007 (9:26 am) · 5 replies

Hello There:

May be it isn't the place to put this topic, but , can I make a Sokoban clone and sell it without breach any copyrigth law??

I planning to make a Sokoban-style game, but I don't know if I can do this, legaly.

Thanks for your help.
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Torque 3D Owner Jason Ravencroft
#1
12/20/2007 (9:43 am)
Apparently the last "official" Sokoban was made in 2000, and it is a registered trademark. Still, the gameplay is really quite generic and well known. The copyright would cover the name, so don't name it "Sokoban". Making the gameplay similar would be generally acceptable, but if you really want to know, consult a lawyer.

Torque Owner Nikos Beck
#2
12/20/2007 (12:18 pm)
IANAL (I am not a lawyer) but I don't think the gameplay itself can be copyrighted. Pushing squares onto diamonds is not something can be copyrighted. I agree with Jason that you can't call it "Sokoban". You also cannot copy the levels; those are likely copyrighted.

You should contact the copyright holder and ask their position. If they flat-out say no then it may not be worth pursuing. Afterall, they have the lawyers handy. Their response can range from "yes, sure" to "no, never". If you send a letter and they fail to respond, then you've done your best to inform them of the situation.

Torque Owner Abimael Avila
#3
12/21/2007 (8:36 am)
The name of my game will not be "Sokoban", may be "Somethingban" or a like. The gameplay will be similar to "Sokoban" gameplay with some adds to extend it.

There is a web site (http://www.sourcecode.se/sokoban/levels.php) where I found a lot of sokoban levels, each having its own copyright, I will ask the copyright owner if I can use it in my game.

can I do all of the above without problems??

Thanks for your help.

Torque 3D Owner Jason Ravencroft
#4
12/21/2007 (10:12 am)
That the site is using "Sokoban" and advertising itself as such is legally questionable. So people claiming copyright over their built levels on a site which itself is probably violating copyright law is a little bit of a head-scratcher. You could easily take the core concept, make it some notably different setting, then be done with it.

Torque Owner Shaderman
#5
12/22/2007 (12:45 am)
This is a very interesting topic and it would be nice to get more information about it...