TV Show Themed Bases

[JasperStone]

I read an article about the tv show Bewitched.

The photos of the set were pretty amazing.

I am thinking of creating a Bewitched themed Base

 

Anyone do something similar?

If so what show?

[Dacy]

If anyone does, they won't admit it here.  The HC team takes copyright infringement very seriously. There was a club that had a Star Wars themed party night. Just one night. They advertised it and the GMs came in and had them tear everything Star Wars related out. So don't nobody do bases based on copyrighted material.

 

-Dacy

[UltraAlt]

On 6/6/2022 at 12:26 PM, JasperStone said:

I am thinking of creating a Bewitched themed Base

 

I know you don't want to take time creating something and having your dream smashed to avoid Homecoming potentially having legal issues.

 

Aim at, but don't copy.

Don't announce what it is. (Don't name anything that is has a copyright by name or name it related to the copyright)

 

Parodies and homages are fine.

Aim at, but don't copy/infringe.

 

Don't awaken Sony's wrath! or especially not Disney's!

No! Please, no!

 

 

 

I don't want to see THE CITY swept away from us again.

 

[MyriVerse]

Every time I scroll past that giant spool, I wanna make the That 70s Show basement.

[Excraft]

17 hours ago, UltraAlt said:

Don't awaken Sony's wrath! or especially not Disney's!

 

There are supergroups named after copyrighted Marvel/Disney properties allowed in game.  Marvel is releasing a film called "The Marvels".  No one seems to care about the SGs her with that name.  There's been bunches of themed costume contests with costumes that are blatant copies down to the name of other intellectual properties and none of the GMs bat an eye.  Just saying.  Seems like the rules only apply to some. 

[lemming]

5 minutes ago, Excraft said:

 

There are supergroups named after copyrighted Marvel/Disney properties allowed in game.  Marvel is releasing a film called "The Marvels".  No one seems to care about the SGs her with that name.  There's been bunches of themed costume contests with costumes that are blatant copies down to the name of other intellectual properties and none of the GMs bat an eye.  Just saying.  Seems like the rules only apply to some. 

Just means they haven't been noticed or reported.   And GMs aren't one monolithic entity. Players shouldn't be pushing it though.

[PeregrineFalcon]

1 hour ago, Excraft said:

Seems like the rules only apply to some. 

[Excraft]

1 hour ago, lemming said:

Just means they haven't been noticed or reported. 

 

Looks to me like they've been posting weekly costume contest results regularly over the past couple of years and no one noticed or reported this yet?  That's a real stretch. 

 

1 hour ago, lemming said:

Players shouldn't be pushing it though.

 

You're right, they shouldn't.  But it's pretty clear some are allowed to bend/break the rules and aren't held to the same standard as everyone else. 

[PeregrineFalcon]

You know, this reminds me of a forum thread about an official costume contest that was run by Lighthouse and Ex-Libris on the retail forums. I still have this, and a few other threads from the retail forums, saved on my SSD.

 

During this official costume contest myself, and a few other people, pointed out that 4 or 5 of the runners up were obvious and specific trademark violations, mostly of various comic book characters.

 

Talk about a complete fiasco. The drama by the forum posters and the utter incompetence of the people running the contest made for some spectacular reading.

[JasperStone]

On 9/15/2022 at 6:54 PM, UltraAlt said:

 

I know you don't want to take time creating something and having your dream smashed to avoid Homecoming potentially having legal issues.

 

Aim at, but don't copy.

Don't announce what it is. (Don't name anything that is has a copyright by name or name it related to the copyright)

 

Parodies and homages are fine.

Aim at, but don't copy/infringe.

 

Don't awaken Sony's wrath! or especially not Disney's!

No! Please, no!

 

 

 

I don't want to see THE CITY swept away from us again.

 

Agreed.

That was my plan

 

[GM Impervium]

On 9/16/2022 at 2:01 PM, Excraft said:

 

There are supergroups named after copyrighted Marvel/Disney properties allowed in game.  Marvel is releasing a film called "The Marvels".  No one seems to care about the SGs her with that name.  There's been bunches of themed costume contests with costumes that are blatant copies down to the name of other intellectual properties and none of the GMs bat an eye.  Just saying.  Seems like the rules only apply to some. 

 

Near as I can tell, "The Marvels" as an SG pre-dates any known copyright filing of "The Marvels" as a movie. Also, none of those characters look like copies of Marvel properties (Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, Marvel Girl, Marvelous Melvin... wait, was that last one a thing?). However, this is something that the GM team will have to discuss once the film is released.

Otherwise, we are not omniscient. If you see any other examples of this, please let us know.

EDIT: Where are my manners? Regarding the OP:

If you make a base look like a generic sitcom house, fine. But if you literally name your SG "The Bewitched House" or "1164 Morning Glory Circle", that would be problematic (and uh, yeah, I totally had to google that. Totally).
 

Edited September 18, 2022 by GM Impervium
Actually answering OP

[Bionic_Flea]

On 9/16/2022 at 4:05 PM, Excraft said:

Looks to me like they've been posting weekly costume contest results regularly over the past couple of years and no one noticed or reported this yet?  That's a real stretch. 

I just went through all the pictures of the costume contest winners posted in the thread you linked.  Not a single one was a copy and most of them didn't get anywhere close to a copyrighted character.

[Excraft]

20 hours ago, Bionic_Flea said:

I just went through all the pictures of the costume contest winners posted in the thread you linked.  Not a single one was a copy and most of them didn't get anywhere close to a copyrighted character.

 

Did you miss the name of the supergroup hosting the events?  You've totally misunderstood what I wrote.  I wasn't referring to any of the characters in that specific thread.

 

22 hours ago, GM Impervium said:

Near as I can tell, "The Marvels" as an SG pre-dates any known copyright filing of "The Marvels" as a movie. Also, none of those characters look like copies of Marvel properties (Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, Marvel Girl, Marvelous Melvin... wait, was that last one a thing?). However, this is something that the GM team will have to discuss once the film is released.

 

I wasn't referring to any characters in that thread.  If you'd all stop hiding posts that question the rules, there are some I could link to that absolutely had clear examples of it.  I pointed some of these out in a recent "retro 80s" themed costume contest post which has since been hidden for some unknown reason.  There were flagrant copies of Marty McFly, Man at Arms from He-Man and many others, down to the names.  I was berated by a couple of members of your cheerleading squad that this was acceptable because "reasons" and didn't break any rules because you all allow it.  I questioned that, and the post is of course hidden now.   Since I know you won't believe me, ask @Troo - he was the one replying to my posts saying it was "ok to do" because the costumes were "only temporary" and "allowed per the rules" even though I linked to the actual wording of the CoC and it didn't mention anything about temporary costumes.  This was about a month or so ago, so it's well after the rules were changed.

 

What's sad is that people making homages are being forced to remake characters even for the slightest whiff of pissing off the House of Mouse, yet a group named "The Marvels", which is an actual Marvel comic title, is allowed to continue on for years.  Like I said, I guess rules only apply to some people. 

Edited September 19, 2022 by Excraft

[PeregrineFalcon]

1 hour ago, Excraft said:

Like I said, I guess rules only apply to some people. 

That's been a proven theme for Homecoming since shortly after it launched in April 2019.

 

I guess I can't get too upset about it. Turns out pirates be acting like pirates, no shock there.

 

Now I don't want to hear a single word after this from the people who want to convince me how professional the Homecoming staff are, when they clearly and obviously have a double standard for when, and to whom, the rules apply.

[Troo]

4 hours ago, Excraft said:

Since I know you won't believe me, ask @Troo - he was the one replying to my posts saying it was "ok to do" because the costumes were "only temporary" and "allowed per the rules" even though I linked to the actual wording of the CoC and it didn't mention anything about temporary costumes.

 

I do remember something in the context of a costume contest.

I wouldn't have said it was okay to do.. or at least I shouldn't even if it was inferred. What I likely said was folks can typically get away with some stuff on temporary costumes for contests (meaning: it is just temporary and if a person got generic'd it would be no biggie)

 

I believe I had a ghostbuster 'like' costume for the contest @Excraft is mentioning (not one of the actual characters).

 

Typically I go by the rule of name, costume, description. If we do two of the three it's gonna get generic'd. Maybe someone can get away with one.. maybe.

 

@JasperStone you can totally do it.  Just tread lightly on name or description. (avoid anything written of what your inspiration was and it'll likely be fine)

 

Edited September 19, 2022 by Troo

[Excraft]

4 hours ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Now I don't want to hear a single word after this from the people who want to convince me how professional the Homecoming staff are, when they clearly and obviously have a double standard for when, and to whom, the rules apply.

 

Not to mention hiding the evidence of it too.

 

45 minutes ago, Troo said:

I do remember something in the context of a costume contest.

I wouldn't have said it was okay to do.. or at least I shouldn't even if it was inferred. What I likely said was folks can typically get away with some stuff on temporary costumes for contests (meaning: it is just temporary and if a person got generic'd it would be no biggie)

 

I believe I had a ghostbuster 'like' costume for the contest @Excraft is mentioning (not one of the actual characters).

 

Typically I go by the rule of name, costume, description. If we do two of the three it's gonna get generic'd. Maybe someone can get away with one.. maybe.

 

Thanks for that.  Yeah as I remember the "temporary costumes are ok" part is what the discussion was.  Reading the CoC, there's nothing in there about temporary costumes being allowed.  The thread had characters named after Marty McFly and Man at Arms with matching costumes to boot.  Those were the two I remembered seeing.  That's a costume AND a name matching copyrighted materials and no one blinked an eye at them, so there again it's showing that rules only apply to some. 

Edited September 19, 2022 by Excraft

[Vexxillion]

1 hour ago, Excraft said:

 

Not to mention hiding the evidence of it too.

 

 

Thanks for that.  Yeah as I remember the "temporary costumes are ok" part is what the discussion was.  Reading the CoC, there's nothing in there about temporary costumes being allowed.  The thread had characters named after Marty McFly and Man at Arms with matching costumes to boot.  Those were the two I remembered seeing.  That's a costume AND a name matching copyrighted materials and no one blinked an eye at them, so there again it's showing that rules only apply to some. 

The user requested that the post be taken down. They weren't hiding evidence or anything. There was further discussion about it on the discord. The GMs very much enforce violations of the CoC. There isn't any playing-favorites conspiracy and at this point it's getting rather off topic to the OP.

[GM Impervium]

8 hours ago, Excraft said:

What's sad is that people making homages are being forced to remake characters even for the slightest whiff of pissing off the House of Mouse, yet a group named "The Marvels", which is an actual Marvel comic title, is allowed to continue on for years.  Like I said, I guess rules only apply to some people. 

 

According to the link you posted, that series came out just LAST YEAR. Near as I can tell, the SG PRE-DATES that. And again, none of the toons there are copies of Marvel characters. And that's the title of the book, not the name of a team. There's a lot of grey here, and isn't as clear-cut a violation as someone trying to be "The Avongers".

If anyone feels like we're making mistakes, we're all for listening and making improvements... but if you're arguing in bad faith just to try and make us look bad, because you have an axe to grind, or, more likely, you're simply trolling, then we're not as likely to take your criticisms seriously. Also, I would advise you to grind your axe and/or take your trolling elsewhere.

[Bionic_Flea]

OH SNAP!

 

[Excraft]

3 hours ago, GM Impervium said:

According to the link you posted, that series came out just LAST YEAR. Near as I can tell, the SG PRE-DATES that. And again, none of the toons there are copies of Marvel characters. And that's the title of the book, not the name of a team. There's a lot of grey here, and isn't as clear-cut a violation as someone trying to be "The Avongers".

If anyone feels like we're making mistakes, we're all for listening and making improvements... but if you're arguing in bad faith just to try and make us look bad, because you have an axe to grind, or, more likely, you're simply trolling, then we're not as likely to take your criticisms seriously. Also, I would advise you to grind your axe and/or take your trolling elsewhere.

 

I don't have any axes to grind.  Questioning your rules and pointing out how you aren't applying them evenly or fairly isn't trolling.  I don't see any grey here, just being honest.  The upcoming movie and the title I linked earlier are recent examples of Marvel using that name.  Marvels was also a Marvel title back in 1994.  I don't think that the SG here pre-dates that.  Regardless if that title is a day old or a decade old, it's still a Marvel title created and owned by the company people here are terrified of legal action from.  Isn't it better to be safe than sorry here?  Again, no axe to grind and not trolling, just trying to understand why rules aren't being applied. 

[Excraft]

5 hours ago, Vexxillion said:

The user requested that the post be taken down. They weren't hiding evidence or anything. There was further discussion about it on the discord. The GMs very much enforce violations of the CoC. There isn't any playing-favorites conspiracy and at this point it's getting rather off topic to the OP.

 

If there's nothing to hide, why take it down?  Not accusing anyone one of anything nefarious.

[Indystruck]

The fact you were shot down multiple times with your proof and tried to find something else to point at each time for one specific group instead of just getting another easier to find example by standing in Atlas for 10 seconds would make it clear that you are trying to grind an axe, partner. Just being honest.

[Dacy]

I super regret mentioning the copyright issue. Meh.

 

It was a caution, it's in the EULA, I gave an example to show how serious they are about it. Don't know nuthin' bout no exceptions. I am sure that GMs cannot be everywhere. I am also sure that they, as volunteers, are doing their best. This escalated quickly!  Seems a sore topic for some. 😞 Mebbe we just go back to discussing whether or not there are classic TV bases. And there are not, to my knowledge, any bases modeled after a television set. There are, however, a ton of creative, original bases! I invite you to go exploring and see how amazing our local base building community can be.

 

-Dacy

[Excraft]

3 hours ago, Indystruck said:

The fact you were shot down multiple times with your proof and tried to find something else to point at each time for one specific group instead of just getting another easier to find example by standing in Atlas for 10 seconds would make it clear that you are trying to grind an axe, partner. Just being honest.

 

Shot down how?  The titles I linked to are legit Marvel titles using the name "The Marvels".  There's also the Marvel film called "The Marvels" in production now, so it's legit proof the title owned by Marvel.  I don't see any exceptions in the CoC for "predating" or anything like that.  I can't provide a link to hidden posts, but don't have to believe me, @Troo can verify the content.  That's why we were discussing copyrights in that thread in the first place.  You can believe whatever you like, I don't have any axes to grind.  Yeah, I disagreed with the whole copyright rule thing when it was implemented, but I've accepted it and agreed to abide by it like everyone else.  It's an official rule now and everyone has to abide by it. 

[Kurbee]

I know a common rule of thumb in other games aims for finding two points of contact to determine if an IP has been breached.  Obviously certain names like Spider-Man or Batman would be notable rips on existing IPs even before looking at the costume, but so long as Arachnid-Guy and Batdude have their own unique take on the costume, they'd fall more under parody or homage.  As for the Marvels, we've been using the name for a long time now, even before we were hosting CC's.  We've never copied a single IP from Marvel, nor do we claim that we are Marvel.  We used a word in the English language that has obvious throwbacks to the company because we're fans, as can be seen in how most of our winners were more tights-based heroes.  Unfortunately, Marvel is now using that same name for their IPs.  Clearly, we don't want to lose the name, but if the GMs determine it's against TOS, then we'll have to suck it up and accept a new name.

 

It's just more than a little strange that we haven't hosted a CC for months and haven't been public much at all recently and yet we're 'bending the rules', have preferential treatment and other nonsense though.

 

As to the original discussion, UltraAlt's suggestion is likely your best bet.  Do what you can to mimic the aesthetics and tone while making it your own and you should be safe from Impervium 🙂