Vintage Titlebout through Web-based interface.

[cubedrum]

Here's a web based version of the original TB game.

http://www.paperboxing.com/

[Mr Big]

Not bad! Definitely brings back memories of the original game.

[gocubsgo]

Played thru a match and it is very cool. Someone put a lot of time into this.

[mh2365]

I am wondering if he knows that he doesn't own the rights to the game?

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by from the website

Inspired by the Title Bout boxing game

Oops, I'd say it was a little more than 'inspired' by.
I don't know anything about copy right law so I suppose that it could be public domain at this point. I cerainly would hope that this guy looked into that before spending bushels of time creating it.

Neat site though for sure.

[bigMatt]

What a great site! The ratings seems a bit skewed on a few of the fighters, but sure was fun reliving a moment from Title Bout.

I think it would suck out loud if this guy was shut down. It would be one thing if this game were still on the shelves. Quite another since it is no longer available except via E-Bay.

[TC Dale]

I agree, Andreas might need to talk with the guy about the licensing on the game, since this would be taking away from his IP he just purchased.

But it does look interesting.

[mh2365]

Originally Posted by bigMatt

What a great site! The ratings seems a bit skewed on a few of the fighters, but sure was fun reliving a moment from Title Bout.

I think it would suck out loud if this guy was shut down. It would be one thing if this game were still on the shelves. Quite another since it is no longer available except via E-Bay.

TBCB is the licensed right to Title Bout (as far as I know).. the fact that this guy is selling it IMO violates copyrights laws. If he was giving it away there would be no harm but he is selling it so ....

Originally Posted by bigMatt

What a great site! The ratings seems a bit skewed on a few of the fighters, but sure was fun reliving a moment from Title Bout.

I think it would suck out loud if this guy was shut down. It would be one thing if this game were still on the shelves. Quite another since it is no longer available except via E-Bay.

Of course it's possible that Andreas Raht would want to issue an updated version of the Title Bout board game. If he does, the paperboxing site definitely interferes with the marketing of Andreas' game.

[swampdragon]

The game is so limited in comparison to what we're playing that I think it would be more likely to boost TBCB sales than hurt them. It just gives people a taste.

[Romdawg88]

I'm no expect on copyright laws but from what I understand if what this guy is doing does violate Copyright laws then Andreas has to go after him. If you don't actively defend your copyright then you can lose it. Hopefully, someone on the site knows about this stuff and can drop some knowledge on us.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by mh2365

TBCB is the licensed right to Title Bout (as far as I know).. the fact that this guy is selling it IMO violates copyrights laws. If he was giving it away there would be no harm but he is selling it so ....

Keeping in mind I am not a copyright expert by any means...

It would depend on what Andreas bought, the rights to the curret line of TBCB computer games or the rights to the entire Title Bout name. If the former, since it seems to be a computerized copy of the board game, I think it would be up to the Trunzos or their board game publisher (Avalon Hill) to enforce their copyright of the board game. If Andreas bought the entire Title Bout product (all things Title Bout, past, present and future), then it'd be up to him.

As others have said, if Andreas has the copyright to all things Title Bout, then he has to protect it. At least according to US copyright law (don't know about Germany or Europe in general), you have to demonstrate that you actively protect your copyright. If you don't, then the defendants can make that case that since you didn't defend it against one person, you allowed it to be used as public domain (or something like that).

On a personal note, I hope he does get shut down. It's one thing to copy a board game to the web or a regular application for personal use or for practice to learn how to program, but to try and make a commercial product out of it (regardless of how little he charges, paying money for something = commercial) is pretty low, lazy, sleazy, unprofessional...I could go on, but I'll stop there.

(Since I am a programmer and hope to one day make my own little sports sim game, the idea of copying someone else's game for commercial gain is a bit of a sensitive spot for me.)

[cubedrum]

Actually right now it's free. It was free six months ago too so he's in no big hurry to charge.

[bigMatt]

Well, it looks like it is not currently working. If that is a development of this discussion, it would be most unfortunate.

[CONN CHRIS]

Still works from what I can see Matt.

[bigMatt]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

Still works from what I can see Matt.

Oops - my bad. Evidently you have to log out each time and log back in.

[bigMatt]

Originally Posted by 60'sfan

Of course it's possible that Andreas Raht would want to issue an updated version of the Title Bout board game. If he does, the paperboxing site definitely interferes with the marketing of Andreas' game.

My assumption is that Milton Bradley owns the rights to TB, having purchased Avalon Hill a few years ago. TBCB may be built on the same concepts, and from the same minds of the Brothers Trunzo, but it's clearly not the same animal, and is really a different product altogether. Consequently, I'd be surprised if Andres has the rights to TB. But I really have no idea - just surmising.

That said, I'd be surprised if he'd give any serious thought to releasing a board game. The expense of producing and distributing a board game like TB of limited appeal hardly merits consideration. That wouldn't keep a corporate bully like MB from tossing threats our developer friend's way should they sniff his site out, even if it is free.

I do recognize and somewhat concur with the comments of several others that the guy is probably wrong to consider charging for the experience - I would have an ethical problem with this.

[CONN CHRIS]

It is a whole lot of fun, brings back many good memories of having the play-by-play in my head.

I am not down on the guy at all, I just hope for his sake (given the amount of time this must have taken) that he did his homework first.

[bigMatt]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

It is a whole lot of fun, brings back many good memories of having the play-by-play in my head.

I am not down on the guy at all, I just hope for his sake (given the amount of time this must have taken) that he did his homework first.

Yeah, I hear ya. I hope so too. My past experience with graphic designers/programmers, having managed and supervised in this arena for a good portion of my professional career, would suggest that he hasn't. Then again, mine's an opinion pregnant with gross generality.

[Jim_Kidd]

I don't think anyone would actually pay to sim fights on that site. If anything, it's free advertising. I saw this site over a year ago, and it was free then, too. Suing would probably be a waste of time. The legal expense would most likely exceed any realistic financial compensation.

The current version of the game is light-years ahead of what's on the paperboxing website. The website designer was obviously a fan of the game and if anything, maybe he can be convinced to put a link to the current version of the game on his site.

His website is over a year old, and he probably already discovered there would be potential legal problems if he charged for access to his site long ago.