A DBZ fairy tale

ID:193324
 
Feb 4 2002, 4:53 pm
Here is what happened when people in the Real World tried to create a DBZ game:


Computer Games, March 2002 issue
Interview with Chris James of the Bid For Power project

How did you deal with the issue of intellectual property and the Dragonball Z name, and how was it resolved?

James: When we began work on Bid For Power, we made several efforts to contact both Funimation and TOEI to inform them that we were developing a game based off of Dragonball Z, but we were never really taken seriously. Several months went by until, in December of 1000, Infogrames picked up the rights to create Dragonball Z games. Two days afterwards we received a cease and desist order from Funimation. After a few emails back and forth, Funimation became receptive to letting us continue work on Bid For Power.

Talks started to slow down until we were asked to submit our work to TOEI for approval in April of 2001. Months went by without any feedback from TOEI, and in July we emailed Funimation requesting that we be allowed to release in August since for the past eight months we ahd been working with them only to be put on the shelf. In early August we were sent a final Cease and Desist letter. With the second Cease And Desist order sent, we decided to take a different route and instead of dropping all our work and walking away, we decided to remove the Dragonball Z content and create our own original characters.


That's right, kids -- you too can create a DBZ game and receive legal letters from Funimation...your parents will be so proud as they open that letter and realize they are subject to legal action thanks to what you've done!

Or, you know, like the big boys here, you could be inspired by Dragonball Z but, like, make your own game.

The choice is yours!
Feb 4 2002, 6:49 pm
Deadron wrote:
Here is what happened when people in the Real World tried to create a DBZ game:


Computer Games, March 2002 issue
Interview with Chris James of the Bid For Power project

How did you deal with the issue of intellectual property and the Dragonball Z name, and how was it resolved?

<font color=red>James:</font> When we began work on Bid For Power, we made several efforts to contact both Funimation and TOEI to inform them that we were developing a game based off of Dragonball Z, but we were never really taken seriously. Several months went by until, in December of 1000, Infogrames picked up the rights to create Dragonball Z games. Two days afterwards we received a cease and desist order from Funimation. After a few emails back and forth, Funimation became receptive to letting us continue work on Bid For Power.

Talks started to slow down until we were asked to submit our work to TOEI for approval in April of 2001. Months went by without any feedback from TOEI, and in July we emailed Funimation requesting that we be allowed to release in August since for the past eight months we ahd been working with them only to be put on the shelf. In early August we were sent a final Cease and Desist letter. With the second Cease And Desist order sent, we decided to take a different route and instead of dropping all our work and walking away, we decided to remove the Dragonball Z content and create our own original characters.


That's right, kids -- you too can create a DBZ game and receive legal letters from Funimation...your parents will be so proud as they open that letter and realize they are subject to legal action thanks to what you've done!

Or, you know, like the big boys here, you could be inspired by Dragonball Z but, like, make your own game.

The choice is yours!

lol my assistant princiapal used to say that all the time on the morning news.
Feb 4 2002, 7:20 pm
Heh, I read that a couple days ago, instantly thought of Byond. :) As I recall though, there was a topic posted here about 4 or 5 months ago on the same subject, and it didn't stop the DragonBall games at all. :(

I think it was the decision maker for getting DBZ-Spar renamed to just Spar though.
Feb 4 2002, 9:07 pm
In response to Stealth 2k
Yeech! Bid for power 1.0 isnt as cool as RC3 was.

I know for a fact that Dragonball Quake will be shutdown too.

*sigh*

I hope FUNimation gets enough emails about all the DBZ games on BYOND, and tells anyone who is making a DBZ game to stop, or they will take legal action.

The only bad thing about this is that theu may(or may not) pin the DBZ game's existance on Dantom (like they(other people) got all mad at napster just for allowing mp3s to be transfered).

The only bad thing about "originallity" is that most people see something original and instantly think of it as a rip off of somthing else
Feb 5 2002, 8:07 am
In response to Pillsverry
DBZ games can still me made, though.

As long as you do not have a DBZ name to it and I think you can still get away with the name Goku, because its used in 2-3 Anime/Manga in China and Japan.
Feb 5 2002, 8:10 am
In response to Pillsverry

The only bad thing about "originallity" is that most people see something original and instantly think of it as a rip off of somthing else

If you can ban them, who cares what they think? ;o)
Feb 6 2002, 5:38 pm
In response to Pillsverry
The only bad thing about this is that theu may(or may not) pin the DBZ game's existance on Dantom (like they(other people) got all mad at napster just for allowing mp3s to be transfered).

Not exactly. Napster was designed as an audio sharing service, and thus the transmission of illegal audio is part of the fault of the authors.

BYOND is not designed as a fan game creation system, but rather a universal system. Whatever someone creates on BYOND is up to the discretion of the specific user involved -- Dantom has no actual authority over what content is allowed to flow through its server except the content that is hosted from the Dantom server or published through the hub.

Another reason why Dantom allows fan games is because no company has yet intervened -- if any company intervenes with a Cease and Desist order, then it isn't Dantom's fault: all they have to do is remove any references to them from the hub. The remainder of the blame is placed on the author of the game itself.