
From: Jim Vassilakos <jimv>
Subject: What is IG's copyright policy?
To: traveller@NS.MPGN.COM
Date: Mon, 2 Sep 1996 14:28:58 -0700 (PDT)

Back in May, Ken Whitman of Imperium Games got on the Traveller
Mailing List in order to publicize the coming of "Marc Miller's
Traveller", the new edition of the game, otherwise known as T4
(or Traveller, 4th edition). In order to generate interest over
the game, he offered to deliver questions from TML members to
Marc. Although I never got an answer to it (they've been rather
busy during the past few months, and understandably so), this is
the one that I sent. I decided to include it here as an open
letter since it more or less concerns all of us.

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From: Jim Vassilakos (jimv@empirenet.com)
Subject: question for marc or whomever
To: Ken Whitman (whitman@wisenet.net)
Date: Sun, 19 May 1996 09:14:43 -0700 (PDT)

Hi, Ken. You said on the TML that you were collecting questions
for Marc Miller. Well, here's mine:

As you are probably already aware, Traveller enthusiasts on the
Internet have been creating and distributing various works which
are compatible with (and in some cases might arguably be
derivative of) professionally published Traveller material. These
fan-authored works typically consist of computer programs, world
write-ups, character write-ups, adventures, stories, and a wide
assortment of other articles which are reminiscent of what one
might find in an old JTAS. Nearly all the professional games
publishers recognize that their fans are doing this, and except
for the condition that this fan-authored material be made
available free of charge, almost all of these publishers condone
(and sometimes even assist) this activity on the part of their
fans. I say "almost", because one roleplaying games publisher
sticks out like a sore-thumb for its unwillingness to condone
fan-authored works which are compatible with its game system (and
this publisher has even threatened its own fans with legal
action, although it has never been willing to openly discuss the
legal specifics behinds its rationale). I am, of course, speaking
of TSR, the great-granddaddy of RPG publishers. Now my question
to you is, what is your/Imperium Games' policy toward
fan-authored Traveller-compatible works which are distributed
free of charge over the Internet?

For more information on the TSR/Copyright controversy, please
see ftp://ftp.cs.pdx.edu/pub/frp/tsr/debate.zip.

Looking forward to hearing from you...   jimv@empirenet.com

