Graal Forums - I really think you should look at this

The following quote was posted on the pokezero.com message board.

Quote:

I know Psykloak posted this on the main news...but for those of you who like to skip it....here is something interesting:
"Poster: MykeZero
Date: 06/13/01
E-Mail: [email protected]
Subject: Intresting Situation
Body: I recived a letter from a so-called "Legal Dept" of the owners of the Graal Game...Please Read On....

Dear Sir,
The Graphic Tileset used by pokezero.com is in direct violation of copyrights filed by GraalOnline/Linux Cyberjoueurs in both the United States and France. We have enclosed two screenshots demonstrating the direct violation. We have sent these files to our lawyers in France and in the United States.

- graal_tile.gif belongs to GraalOnline
- poke_tile.gif is the violating tileset we retained from Pokezero.com

We remind you that the U.S. Copyright Office protects original works of authorship including "pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works," which would
cover any and all images in any format, including digital images. An image is copyrighted if it is on the Web since copyright is automatically conferred upon creation of the work. Altering a few graphics within
graalonline's original tileset does NOT alter the clear copyright
infringement violation.

In response to pokezero.com's blatant copyright infringement, we have contacted lawyers in California to proceed with a legal process against your company and game. You will be contacted by them within the next 7 days,
unless you do the following:

1. Remove all Graphic Tilesets used by Pokezero from http://multiplayer.com/RPG/more2.html and ANY OTHER SITE using these graphics.

2. Put notice on all distribution sites that Pokezero has illegally
benefitted from use of Graphics owned by GraalOnline/Cyberjoueurs and was
ordered to halt distribution of the violating game.

We have also notified www.multiplayer.com of the copyright infringement of your game.

sincerely,
Michael Thompson

Vice President of Business Development
GraalOnline & Cyberjoueurs
21 rue de Fecamp
75012 Paris
France
33.1.43.97.60.11
[email protected]

My reply is below...
Mulitplayer.com is not my site, so if they make money from my game they are doing it without any blessing from I, so feel free to do what you want with them. However, I do not make any claim that the graphics are solely mine nor do i claim them as my own. I also do not profit nor in anyway make money from said graphics.

So feel free to send your lawyers after me, i am violating nothing.

If any further legal action is attempted, i will notify Nintendo of America and im sure they will be very intrested in your situation, because you are actually claming the Zelda graphics as yours, even slightly altered they are still Nintendo property Not yours....

So in very simple english, The Zelda Graphics are not yours,and if nintendo told me to stop using them i would, but you are not nintendo.

As for the Graal Graphics, I am not profiting from them thus it retains status as a "fan project".

The same reason Nintendo could not do anything to Graal when it was "Zelda Online" beacuse you were not making money from it, they could not sue you, it is the same situation here.

Lastly, If Multiplayer.com is making money from my game, talk to them not me. It is not my site.

Thank you,
-Mike

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- MykeZero
Webmaster and Powerful Overlord-ish Dictator of all he sees. =p"

I would like to thank Psykloak for making this available for all to read....

If any Graalian would like to respond to this,then feel free to do so....but please do it in a civilized way,like the civilized people you claim to be...