Shawn Jefferson Posted April 11, 2003 Share Posted April 11, 2003 M.U.L.E. was released in 1983, BUT the release date has NOTHING to dowith when the copyright is granted. If you filed for a copyright TODAY, you would be lucky if the copyright office recorded it by the end of 2004!! In fact, Ozark Softscape who did the original prgramming NEVER even filed for a copyright. I wasn't aware there was a "copyright office" or that you needed to file for a copyright. My understanding is that a trademark and a patent you file for, but you don't need to file for a copyright. This text is copyright automatically just by writing it. Wow, seems we are both right. I just found this place: http://www.copyright.gov/records/ and did a search for M.U.L.E., sure enough IBM has registered their copyright... which is just a formality... they didn't need to do it, it just creates a public record of the copyright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super-Genius! Posted April 11, 2003 Author Share Posted April 11, 2003 I wasn't aware there was a "copyright office" or that you needed to file for a copyright. My understanding is that a trademark and a patent you file for' date=' but you don't need to file for a copyright.[/quote'] You are correct, you do not have to file! BUT, if you don't and want to take legal action against someone, you have the burden of proof resting on you!! And without that copyright being filed, proof of ownership can be tough! You always want to make your copyrights "public record"! As far as a Trademark, YOU HAVE TO FILE! In fact, if you come up with a trademark or service mark, YOU CAN NOT PUT THE "TM" or "SM" unless you filed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Jefferson Posted April 11, 2003 Share Posted April 11, 2003 So anybody contacted IBM about releasing/licensing MULE? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Huemer Posted April 11, 2003 Share Posted April 11, 2003 M.U.L.E. was released in 1983, BUT the release date has NOTHING to dowith when the copyright is granted. If you filed for a copyright TODAY, you would be lucky if the copyright office recorded it by the end of 2004!! In fact, Ozark Softscape who did the original programming NEVER even filed for a copyright. I wrote "Wrong" because IBM did not hire Electronic Arts to write it for them. Please learn reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetboot Jack Posted April 11, 2003 Share Posted April 11, 2003 An interesting Copyright submission, it however does not clarify any publication rights and contracts of subsequent use of the IP. Whilst IBM may have a copyright on the original PC MULE release, the floppy disc and its contents basically, the subsequent and derivative rights are NOT specified in the Copyright. The fair use rights are still probably between EA and IBM (if either of them cared)... The rights to publish, which are contracted between the developer and publisher, nothing to do with Copyright at all are also not specified... Its common for a publisher to grant the software rights back to the developer for reuse with a royalty or one off payment. This may be the case here with MULE, leastways you would need to verify the legality of your release. Since you are using an unauthorized modification of the original source code, by reverse engineering mostly likely, code that's IP ownership and rights to publish preceed and therefore for this platform superceed IBM's ownership of the rights. The code in Atari 8bit Mule is almost certainly coverd by many statutes of ownership and provable origination, without TM or Copyright needing to be stamped all over them. Common law rights allow original authors and owners to enforce the rights of their IP without it needing to have the copyright office stamp it as owned... sTeVE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon Posted April 12, 2003 Share Posted April 12, 2003 An interesting Copyright submission, it however does not clarify any publication rights and contracts of subsequent use of the IP. Whilst IBM may have a copyright on the original PC MULE release, the floppy disc and its contents basically, the subsequent and derivative rights are NOT specified in the Copyright. The fair use rights are still probably between EA and IBM (if either of them cared)... The rights to publish, which are contracted between the developer and publisher, nothing to do with Copyright at all are also not specified... Its common for a publisher to grant the software rights back to the developer for reuse with a royalty or one off payment. This may be the case here with MULE, leastways you would need to verify the legality of your release. Since you are using an unauthorized modification of the original source code, by reverse engineering mostly likely, code that's IP ownership and rights to publish preceed and therefore for this platform superceed IBM's ownership of the rights. The code in Atari 8bit Mule is almost certainly coverd by many statutes of ownership and provable origination, without TM or Copyright needing to be stamped all over them. Common law rights allow original authors and owners to enforce the rights of their IP without it needing to have the copyright office stamp it as owned... sTeVE My MULE is just fine, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetboot Jack Posted April 12, 2003 Share Posted April 12, 2003 huh - I don't get what u mean... sTeVE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Sauron Posted April 12, 2003 Share Posted April 12, 2003 huh - I don't get what u mean... sTeVE I think it was a joke...but I don't get it either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetboot Jack Posted April 13, 2003 Share Posted April 13, 2003 So I still have unanswerd questions.... I love the idea of MULE on cart and would buy one - but why so expensive - video 61 sells some similar disc to cart games at only $20... Will I be able to buy components and make my own carts? What ROM control scheme do these carts use - and will the schema be published for Homebrewers??? sTeVE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndary Posted April 13, 2003 Share Posted April 13, 2003 Hi Steve, Sorry for the delay in answering your questions.. but with the New Baby and sleepless nights .. my Atari is second priorety now... The Price of the cartridge is determined by how meny PCBS we produce.. the more PCB we will make the lower it will cost.. and you are right the Video61 20$ price is very good!!! I am working on a manual for a developer kit.. that will allow users to use the cartridge and make your own game working from a cartridge.. The cartridge banks switches the complete 16k for the cartridge area ($8000-$BFFF) while the XEG cartridge are bank switch only the lower 8K ($8000-$9FFF) while the upper 8k ($A000-$BFFF) are fixed.. this allow you to use the Mega-cart and fit a larger EPROM there (512k) or (1meg) while the XEGS designed for max use of 128k eprom.. the Mega Cart is also switchable cartridge.. meaning write to $D500 and the cartridge will be switched off (invisible while still plugged into the Computer).. while the XEGS cartridge cannot do that.. in this way you can use the Mega-Cartridge to load games that their memory is resisdent in the Cartridge memory arae.. Nir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Mo Posted April 13, 2003 Share Posted April 13, 2003 Just out of curiosity, how big K-wise is M.U.L.E.? I wish it had come out for the 5200...I have a 4port 5200, but only XL and XE Atari 8-bits, so I can't play 4-player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndary Posted April 13, 2003 Share Posted April 13, 2003 Mule is 64k game and 4 players can play it on the ATARI XL/XE using the Peddals Nir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super-Genius! Posted April 13, 2003 Author Share Posted April 13, 2003 So I still have unanswerd questions.... I love the idea of MULE on cart and would buy one - but why so expensive - video 61 sells some similar disc to cart games at only $20... sTeVE The Mega-Cart has a 29F040 Flash chip in it. You can go to Digikey and see that the CHEAPEST one available is $7.00. There is also a 22V10 GAL chip needed. The cost of that is about $5.00. The PCB is $5.00. There are two sockets, which cost about $0.75 each. Not to mention a case $3.00, labels, instructions, not even acknowledging the time it takes to assemble one! You may have a point, $34.95 may not be enough! Also, as far as "revising" the code, that is not what we did. The code is EXACTLY the same, it is just loading from another type of media. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetboot Jack Posted April 13, 2003 Share Posted April 13, 2003 Ok - I'll take a MULE cart even at $34.95!!!! And also I'll be first in line for those cart dev info/tools and homebrew parts, 1MB games here we come... I bet Space Harrier would make an awesome cart - Sheddy. where are you!!!!! Anyone have those missing cart images (Commando, Midi Maze etc) - maybe we coudl see them on this format too!! sTeVE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........Forbidden MULE cart..........................ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......droooooooooooolllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Doh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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