I am thinking about copyright and the Japanese game of Go. For those not familiar with that game: Assume that it's the same as chess, since the differences don't matter in this context.
Some questions: Is there a copyright on game records? Is there any protection for large databases consisting of many game records? Is there a copyright on new opening moves?
And, if you follow Richard Stallman's idea to distinguish three different categories of works (functional works, documentaries and representational works, and artistic and aesthetic works): What category would apply to a Go game record?
In my observation, the world of Go is largely free from copyright constraints. When playing, no one has to ask first for a license if they want to use a new opening move someone else developed two weeks earlier. And there is a large body of knowledge in the public domain.
Anyway, I would be interested in any comments about this question.
Posted by Karl-Friedrich Lenz at March 10, 2003 10:09 AM | TrackBack