• Lumelore (She/her)
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      253 months ago

      They aren’t supposed to be but if you have enough money anything can be patentable, copyrightable, or trademarkable.

      • I Cast Fist
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        13 months ago

        Some douche had (still has?) all the trademarks on anything Edge related to games

    • @[email protected]
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      103 months ago

      No, game mechanics aren’t subject to copyright law. Game mechanics can be patented in the US, so long as they’re unique and nonobvious (to someone with ordinary skill in the field).

      Monopoly and Magic: The Gathering both had patents on their mechanics, for example.

      And of course, patents in Japan are a completely different animal than patents in the US.

    • @Dagnet
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      43 months ago

      Load screen minigames was patented for quite a few years, it’s the reason we couldn’t have fun while waiting for the game to load. The patent has run out tho I think, but nowadays it doesn’t matter cause SSDs

      • I Cast Fist
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        23 months ago

        Just wait a few more years and SSDs won’t matter, loading screens will take forever again