Copyright issues

[maelic001]

The "Major" promo cards from GenCon a couple years back were given the green light on being scanned and posted on the internet. What is the situation with playtest materials from the Frontline tournaments like the Mars map or the Tech command cards? Could a fan scan and post them as well, or would that be a bad idea as these are prototypes for a possible future expansion?

[msjells]

Try emailing legal@wizards.com . They could probably tell you the official position on whether such an activity would be premissible or prosecutable.
Moderator John

[maelic001]

Only problem is legal@wizards.com isn't a valid e-mail address...

[msjells]

Hmmm... it used to be, because I've dealt with them. I notice that it's no longer listed on their site. Maybe they did away with the legal department?! Try custserv@wizards.com, who should be able to direct you to the right location if they can't help directly.
Moderator John

[maelic001]

I did as suggested, but still haven't received a reply. Would it be out of line for me to submit example photos of the first two seasons of the Frontline program to boardgamegeek?

[msjells]

Sorry, I'm not qualified to give you an opinion on that (Translation: I have no authority!). I'll see if I can contact the right people.

Moderator John

[Y2UAsk]

1. I'm not a lawyer and so am not qualified to render legal opinions (if you follow my advice and wind up in jail, don't blame me).

2. I do have some knowledge of copyright law, gathered haphazardly across 23 years in publishing.

Boardgamegeek is primarily a review organ. You are legally allowed to present excerpts from coyrighted material in order to build a valid review. If that's what you do, you should be fine. You could, for example, post an image of a portion of the Mars map, or post a thumbnail of the map that doesn't link to a full-size version, and include samples of a few cards. If you post the entire package in a format that someone could download, print, and play, then you've crossed the line into criminality.

I haven't received permission yet to post the Mars expansion on the Avalon Hill site, so it's a good bet that you'd stir some ire by posting it somewhere else.

Steve

[maelic001]

Thanks for the response. That's exactly what I had in mind; just a sampling so people would encourage their local game stores to get involved with the Frontline program.