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Re: Copyrighted Conlangs?

From:Carsten Becker <post@...>
Date:Friday, December 26, 2003, 14:47
Hello!

Yeah, it's really a mess with copyrighting everything. And the "best" thing
at all: even Sindarin and Quenya and stuff is copyrighted, and before AFAIK
2030 (when the copyright runs out) no extra bits about words and grammar of
Tolkien's langs that he wrote himself may be published for non-profit if I
got that right. Thus, as for the grammar of Tolkien's conlangs, you can only
guess that it's right, and so (following Helge Fauskanger form Ardalambion)
especially what is known about Sindarin grammar is partly very vague ...
because of those damn copyrights. I don't understand why stuff like
languages and algorithms or scrollbars, or "send" buttons can be patented
and copyrighted. I don't know whether they're still discussing about, but
about two months ago I read an article about that the European
I-don't-know-what council demands that getting a patent for math formulae
etc. is not possible anymore becuase it's not useful for anything.

Back to topic: Does that really mean, you may not use anymore names like
"Aragorn" or "Frodo" or "Minas Tirith" or whatever in stories set in
Middle-Earth you as a big fan imagined and think they're worth to be
published on your website without having to pay to whomever?! That queston
does not concern me, I ask this in general.

Merry Christmas (TM?),
Carsten

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Muke Tever <hotblack@...>