Can you copyright a chess move

[Gary Gladstone]

Article in the Toronto Star today featuring none other than Hal Bond IA

http://www.thestar.com/article/602561

[Bob Armstrong]

Scarborough CC Game Score Issue

Hi Gary:

Copyright is a side issue to the handing in of scoresheets/entry of games into the club games database that Scarborough CC has currently been wrestling with. Our issue has been whether one of the two opponents in a game ( the objecting opponent ), should have the power to stop the opponent who wants to share the game, from putting it into the club database ( clearly outside of the club, one opponent cannot stop the other from doing as they like with the game score - and it seems neither of them can copyright the game score ).

But what should be the in-house club policy?

You don't want to cause objecting members discomfort by having their games in the database if they don't want it there. But then the " sharing " opponent is discomforted because his game is not getting into the database. A dilemma for a club, which promotes itself as providing " friendly " chess, and wants the membership to just have a good time playing chess. The dilemma, though, seems built into having a club games database.

Another tangential issue that the club is dealing with is the handing in of score sheets in the Championship Section of the Club Championship next year. This year the handing in was " voluntary ". This was so, despite the fact that the club, as organizer, has ownership of the score sheets:

CFC Handbook:

http://www.chess.ca/section_4.htm

Article 8,
" 8.3 The score sheets are the property of the organizers of the event. "

The club has decided not to exercise its right of ownership.

But there is a proposal that next year the handing in be " mandatory ". And an objecting player will therefore not have the right to keep the game from being entered into the club database.

It will be interesting to see what the members do with this proposal at the SCC AGM in September.

Bob

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Scarborough CC Game Score Issue

This is a side issue to the handing in of scoresheets/entry of games into the club games database that Scarborough CC has currently been wrestling with. Our issue has been whether one of the two opponents in a game ( the objecting opponent ), should have the power to stop the opponent who wants to share the game, from putting it into the club database ( clearly outside of the club, one opponent cannot stop the other from doing as they like with the game score - and it seems neither of them can copyright the game score ).

But what should be the in-house club policy?

Hi Bob,

That's always an intersting topic. I've always felt to the victor goes the spoils.

For the 5 years I did the magazine for the CCCA, I published games of all the classes of players. From the top players to the D class players. I know some editors who came after me felt the games of the lower class players weren't worthy but my feeling was they were members and mostly enjoyed seeing their games published, particularly when at least some of their notes were used. I also felt it helped at membership renewal time.

Some of the D class players could annotate like Alekhine himself! Their notes weren't always right be they were entertaining.

With games where one of the players is from another nation, I like seeing our player win. Let the other players federation or magazine publish their players wins. No reason we should be doing it.

[Ben Daswani]

Re: Can you copyright a chess move

In keeping with the theme of unreceived credit, the article makes no mention of Doug Harvey......