Pertaining to the copyright question

[Maouse]

Ok, here goes a bold statement:

1. If Avalon Hill commisioned ANYONE to create this work, then that person
does not own it. Period. Ever.

2. If Avalon Hill sold the copyrights to this game belongs to whomever they
sold the rights to per:

The copyright claimant. The copyright claimant is defined in Copyright
Office regulations as either the author of the work or a person or
organization that has obtained ownership of all the rights under the
copyright initially belonging to the author(in this case it is actually
AH!). This category includes a person or organization who has obtained by
contract the right to claim legal title to the copyright in an application
for copyright registration.

-This was taken directly from the US Copyright website.

By the way, a Copyright is good for 28 years from first application(without
renewal), so we have to wait, because it is NOT public domain yet.

but anyway, the first is to see if AH did in fact file copyrights, which
they did as follows

TX-1-360-153                 (COHM)        ITEM 1 OF 1 IN SET 1
TITL: Powers & Perils : fantasy role playing game of unique dimensions.
IMPR: Baltimore : Avalon Hill Game Co., c1983.
PHYS: Kit.
SEST: Bookcase game ; 852
NOTE: Includes gameboard, cards, sheets, et al.
CLNA: The Avalon Hill Game Company, division of Monarch Avalon Industries,
      Inc.
DCRE: 1984           DPUB: 15Feb84           DREG: 4May84
INND: notice: 1983
ECIF: 5/S
READY FOR NEW COMMAND:

It would be prudent to see what happens to rights of a company which owned
rights but does not exist anymore, or if they did change hands per the
copyright office.  This is done via the COHD.

THE TERM, "POWERS AND PERILS", IS NOT USED IN COHD.
READY FOR NEW COMMAND:
THE TERM, "POWERS & PERILS", IS NOT USED IN COHD.
READY FOR NEW COMMAND:

But I did get response from just "Powers & Perils" which did not show "our"
game.
B01 POWERS//(WRKS=2; MAIN=4)
B02 POWERS (FRAN) MUSIC//(PTY1=1; PTY2=1)
B03 POWERS (TONY) MUSIC, INC//(PTY1=1)
B04 POWERS & ASSOCIATES, INC//(PTY1=1; PTY2=1)
B05 POWERS & LALONDE//(WRKS=4; MAIN=6)
B06+POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PRESIDEN//(WRKS=1; MAIN=2)
B07 POWERS AND ROOTS//(WRKS=3; MAIN=6)
B08 POWERS GIRL//(WRKS=8; MAIN=16)
B09 POWERS OF ATTORNEY//(WRKS=1; MAIN=2)
B10 POWERS OF DARKNESS//(WRKS=1; MAIN=2)
B11 POWERS OF ELEVEN//(WRKS=1; MAIN=2)
B12 POWERS OF MIND//(WRKS=1; MAIN=2)

Avalon Hill turns up the following entries
B06+AVALON HILL GAME COMPANY//(PTY2=3)
B07 AVALON HILL GAME COMPANY OF BALTIMORE, MARY//(PTY2=1)

B06 has this

 NOTE: Trippples & 10 other titles; board games.  Agreement.
  PARTY 1: Glen Frank d.b.a. On Target Games.
   PARTY 2: The Avalon Hill Game Company.

so Glen Frank sold them some games if I see it correctly...

B07 has this

V1985 P521                             (COHD)
RECORDED:  2Jul84
EXECUTED:  none given
PARTY 1:  Truco Boxing Game Company (a partnership between James V. Trunzo
      & Thomas A. Trunzo)
PARTY 2:  Avalon Hill Game Company of Baltimore, Maryland.
NOTE: Assignment of copyright.
XREF: James V.  Trunzo.  SEE Truco Boxing Game Company.

Thomas A.  Trunzo.  SEE Truco Boxing Game Company.

again it would appear that AH bought rights to a/some games... namely a lot
of the ones it ever made. (there were 8 listings for Truco BGC...)

I did not see a transfer for Copyright rights regarding any of the Powers &
Perils games... thus I would have to guess the orignal Copyright is still
in force (it does not revert to the "author" as in this case legally the
author was AH).

I love computers by the way...

So does anyone know what happens when a company goes caput?  Where do the
rights go for holdings?  The copyright office says they exist for 28 years
without renewal... I'll keep reading and try to find out... I love work...
lol

-Marcel aka maouse