27-11-2001 02:15									#1
	A Latin Translation? Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

Ok, I don't know where to post this, so I thought this would be as good a place as any. With all the snatches I heard about the German translation going sour I thought I should ask:

Can I do a Latin translation of the files for Civ3 and distribute them to my friends who also have civ3? Or is this infringing on some law somewhere?

Not that anyone would want a Latin civ3, but I think it'd be cool. Right up there with an Attic Greek translation. Yeah...

So, could I undertake it? Anyone know whats up?

Ioannes

	27-11-2001 03:12									#2
	Inflate your Upload Space

quote: Can I do a Latin translation of the files for Civ3 and distribute them to my friends who also have civ3? Or is this infringing on some law somewhere? Not that anyone would want a Latin civ3, but I think it'd be cool. Right up there with an Attic Greek translation. Yeah... So, could I undertake it? Anyone know whats up?

IIRC, someone who holds copyright over a piece automatically has that copyright extended to all "derivative works". This means that if you create a mod for Civ, your work technically ends up being owned and able to be controlled by whoever holds the copyright to whatever work you derived it from.

This is potentially a problem for a lot of derivative stuff on the net - mods, fan fiction, etc. I know that groups such as Paramount have, in the past, been able to oblige people to take down fan fiction because the "derivative works" clause gives the copyright back to the studio.

So, technically, yes you can create a Latin or Classical Greek mod for Civ3 - it's just that as soon as you do someone else will own it and tell you what you're allowed to do with it.