Great read! I forgot the name went back so far. Crazy that WH40k uses soooo many ideas from other well known authors and well-worn tropes and yet GW is so litigious
Way to go Princess Margaret! I met MCA a few years ago at Son of SilverCon 1. She's very talented as both author and artist and a delightful person. She even taught me how to draw a straight line--ruining one of my favorite tag-lines about myself :).
One thing you should be careful about though, "...trying to copyright a term that’s been in common use for over fifty years...." Trademarks are very different from copyrights. You can't copyright a word or phrase. That's the realm of trademarks. Also copyright has a "limited" time, but a trademark can go on as long as you continue to pay for it--after you establish that it's unique and not in common use. That's where GW fell down. They never should have been awarded a trademark. In contrast, as soon as I manifest my work in "physical form", I own the copyright which extends to publishing, drama, video, audio, and all ancillary rights even to formats that haven't been invented yet until I sell those rights or give them away. Word of caution though. I am not a lawyer. I don't even play one on television. I learned everything I know about intellectual property law from the Comic-Con Law School(R), so consult your local IP lawyer before you file those injunctions! ;)
Great read! I forgot the name went back so far. Crazy that WH40k uses soooo many ideas from other well known authors and well-worn tropes and yet GW is so litigious
GW was best when it remembered it was a cool dark reimagining and satire.
Less good as an IP holding house.
Can the Tolkien estate sue them? Come on.
P.A. Piatt wrote 11 Space Marine stories in the "Abner Fortis, ISMC" series. Still in print. All are good solid reads.
Made me go buy SPOTS
Now we need a gaming company to pick it up for a Role Playing "Space Marines" :) Could do it with GURPS but to really tweak them full product :)
Way to go Princess Margaret! I met MCA a few years ago at Son of SilverCon 1. She's very talented as both author and artist and a delightful person. She even taught me how to draw a straight line--ruining one of my favorite tag-lines about myself :).
One thing you should be careful about though, "...trying to copyright a term that’s been in common use for over fifty years...." Trademarks are very different from copyrights. You can't copyright a word or phrase. That's the realm of trademarks. Also copyright has a "limited" time, but a trademark can go on as long as you continue to pay for it--after you establish that it's unique and not in common use. That's where GW fell down. They never should have been awarded a trademark. In contrast, as soon as I manifest my work in "physical form", I own the copyright which extends to publishing, drama, video, audio, and all ancillary rights even to formats that haven't been invented yet until I sell those rights or give them away. Word of caution though. I am not a lawyer. I don't even play one on television. I learned everything I know about intellectual property law from the Comic-Con Law School(R), so consult your local IP lawyer before you file those injunctions! ;)