Is Warcraft a "ripoff" of Warhammer?

[Gothicshark]

Except that no one confuses any WarCraft game with the Warhammer board game franchise. If WarCraft was such an obvious rip-off as you say, Games Workshop would have been able to sue Blizzard for that. Considering the current circumstances and that WarCraft as well as Warhammer are going strong to this very day without being considered two big rival competitors, I do not see how anything you just said make any sense, at all.

Here's the thing, when Blizzard and Games Workshop were talking about working together both companies where tiny, neither had a full time legal department. Since that point both companies have used ideas that the other came up with. And now both companies are the kings of the types of games they make. Both are billion dollars a year businesses and both will sue any company that dares copy them. Hell Games Workshop owns the rights to the term Space Marine. So simply put by all rights they could sue each other, but both companies would loose because of the amount of cross contamination. So at the end of the day they pretend not to see each other.

[Osmeric]

Here's the thing, when Blizzard and Games Workshop were talking about working together both companies where tiny, neither had a full time legal department. Since that point both companies have used ideas that the other came up with.

One cannot own "ideas". One can copyright expressions of ideas, one can have a trademark on certain terms, one can patent new methods of operation and designs, one can have contracts that enforce trade secrets. But unless IP is protected by one of those things, immitate away, it's completely ok.

[Gothicshark]

One cannot own "ideas". One can copyright expressions of ideas, one can have a trademark on certain terms, one can patent new methods of operation and designs, one can have contracts that enforce trade secrets. But unless IP is protected by one of those things, immitate away, it's completely ok.

I was using layman terms, and yes both companies do this now, and in a legal battle both companies would be guilty of infringing on the other companies intellectual property, which can be legally owned with a copyright.

[Osmeric]

and in a legal battle both companies would be guilty of infringing on the other companies intellectual property, which can be legally owned with a copyright.

No, I don't believe this is the case. Points of similarity in setting and plot are not enough, for example. Copyright does not give a creator a right to control the ideas behind a work, only his expression of those ideas.

[Frozen Death Knight]

-snip-

Aha. Well, I have never really been into Warhammer, so I just made a small assumption about the genre, but of course, I stand corrected.

As for the part about ripping off others, the term is defined in a negative fashion rather than positive. That is why you say "inspired", instead, which pretty much means the same thing without all the negative baggage to it.

It's pretty much like when one uses the words "risk" and "chance" when talking about probability. They mean pretty much the same thing, but one is more positive/negative than the other, which is why both terms exist. "Rip-off" and "inspired" are pretty much used in the same fashion.

---------- Post added 2013-01-07 at 10:31 PM ----------

Here's the thing, when Blizzard and Games Workshop were talking about working together both companies where tiny, neither had a full time legal department. Since that point both companies have used ideas that the other came up with. And now both companies are the kings of the types of games they make. Both are billion dollars a year businesses and both will sue any company that dares copy them. Hell Games Workshop owns the rights to the term Space Marine. So simply put by all rights they could sue each other, but both companies would loose because of the amount of cross contamination. So at the end of the day they pretend not to see each other.

If Games Workshop had their franchise established before Blizzard it would mean that they would have had a copyright on Warhammer. Regardless of how small they were, they would have been able to sue if they thought Blizzard infringed on their copyright. Though, since nothing has happened since Blizzard released their game in the form of WarCraft and that no one is confusing the two franchises as being either or, chances are that there is no case here to deal with.

[Lightswords]

Well, here's a question.

If something starts out as a rip off, can it ever be anything other than a rip off or can it grow beyond that label into an original property in its own right?

Example - Batman is basically a rip off of Zoro. Batman is arguably more popular nowadays than Zoro, and he is typically not looked down upon as a Zoro rip-off.

If I am correct Batman was insipred by old movie about Bat killer which was man with bat mask killing his victims.He even had bat signal.

OT:Nope

[Shefu]

I wouldn't say a ripoff, but it is heavily influenced by Warhammer.

[Gothicshark]

Aha. Well, I have never really been into Warhammer, so I just made a small assumption about the genre, but of course, I stand corrected.

As for the part about ripping off others, the term is defined in a negative fashion rather than positive. That is why you say "inspired", instead, which pretty much means the same thing without all the negative baggage to it.

It's pretty much like when one uses the words "risk" and "chance" when talking about probability. They mean pretty much the same thing, but one is more positive/negative than the other, which is why both terms exist. "Rip-off" and "inspired" are pretty much used in the same fashion.

---------- Post added 2013-01-07 at 10:31 PM ----------



If Games Workshop had their franchise established before Blizzard it would mean that they would have had a copyright on Warhammer. Regardless of how small they were, they would have been able to sue if they thought Blizzard infringed on their copyright. Though, since nothing has happened since Blizzard released their game in the form of WarCraft and that no one is confusing the two franchises as being either or, chances are that there is no case here to deal with.

I agree that both Inspired and Ripped Off mean the same thing. As for law suits, GW has the older property, Bliz has the bigger wallet. In the end nerdy gamers who play GW also play Blizzard games, so I doubt either company would do anything to jeopardize their fan base. Lets just say South Korea WH40 is very popular.

[katji]

Pretty sure WoW borrowed from EQ. Pretty sure RIFT borrowed from WoW. Pretty sure all games share each other. Pretty sure that I'm pretty sure.

[Deadite]

Aha. Well, I have never really been into Warhammer, so I just made a small assumption about the genre, but of course, I stand corrected.



If Games Workshop had their franchise established before Blizzard it would mean that they would have had a copyright on Warhammer.

You obviously know nothing about Warhammer yet you are blindly defending Blizzard. I find this highly entertaining. Blizzard was making Warhammer the video game when they were working with Games Workshop. It was a total rip off to begin with. Now after the years have passed it has its own identity but it started off as Warhammer. That is simply a fact.

[Frozen Death Knight]

I agree that both Inspired and Ripped Off mean the same thing. As for law suits, GW has the older property, Bliz has the bigger wallet. In the end nerdy gamers who play GW also play Blizzard games, so I doubt either company would do anything to jeopardize their fan base. Lets just say South Korea WH40 is very popular.

They really did not have a such a big wallet in the 90s, when they started producing their most well known franchises. It really does not make any sense that Games Workshop was not able to sue when WarCraft: Orcs and Humans was the first time Blizzard had enough money to produce new games without breaking even with their debts or having to borrow money. That is not really an economy where you can hire top lawyers and such.

Besides, trying to sue now would be in bad taste considering how long WarCraft has been around, now (not that they would have a case, anyway). Except for the original influences back in WarCraft 1 (possibly a few more in 2 and 3, but I digress), it really does not resemble Warhammer that much, anymore, when there are plenty of other influences that has shaped the current product.

---------- Post added 2013-01-08 at 12:36 AM ----------

You obviously know nothing about Warhammer yet you are blindly defending Blizzard. I find this highly entertaining. Blizzard was making Warhammer the video game when they were working with Games Workshop. It was a total rip off to begin with. Now after the years have passed it has its own identity but it started off as Warhammer. That is simply a fact.

Learn to read before making baseless accusations. I already acknowledged that there are obvious influences from Warhammer (emphasis on "influences"), but that does not warrant it to be a rip-off. That is simply a fact.

[tylenol]

I watched the Lord of the Rings movies for the first time recently, its cool seeing Elijah Wood and Rudy make their way to Icecrown Citadel before Icecrown Citadel