Bring me the Hammer of IP!

Intelectual Property in the new era of communication is starting lots of wildfires. Companies that have had a slower transition into the new ways are all running into issues. Another issue is people do not know to what degree to file or just to file every believed new misuse.

http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/2010/01/08/32643/

Games Workshop is a company I have been involved with for 10 years in my hobby time. They have recently brought down a lot of IP cease and desist orders and this shocked the Wargaming community. Many rogue companies over the years have spawned up selling all Wargaming products at a slightly discounted price. These sites used the Games Workshop product pictures in their websites, and Games Workshop came down on every last one of them. Now all product pictures the sites must make or take themselves.

http://www.chillingeffects.org/copyright/notice.cgi?NoticeID=30508

Another case was the use of the aquila, which Games Workshop claims under their IP. The aquila in history is a Roman design that was used a lot through out the army's standards. Many sites used this symbol wether it is hobby related or not. Games Workshop forced one of the most popular Wargaming forums to change their entire site due to there use of the aquila. This again enraged the community and start a big Games Workshop revolt. Nothing came further, but how can a company claim a historical symbol?

This is where I first ran into IP and I was astonished. It seems soon nothing if going to be free to use if any company can come along and buy them up. Games Workshop has a niche in the futuristic heroic scale model market that is now being penetrated by another company by the name on Mantic Games. They released first stills of their new models and I can foresee some Games Workshop tension.