I have played Pikmin and I thought it was an interesting game. Then I made a game similar to Pikmin like organizing small creatures, and tossing them at places (with an arrow pointing at the target, just like Pikmin) to solve puzzles in 2D. Would this be a copyright infringement if I published the game? Here''s a picture from my game http://www.geocities.com/hi_jumpman86

"borrowing" ideas is not copyright infringement, but using the name pikmin would be... just as long as you name it something different and make sure it looks nothing like pikmin, it should be fine.... but then again, im no lawyer

You think that the arrow and the small creature resemble Pikmin?

Hey, I know about this stuff. It would be no big deal as long as you don''t use similar looking characters and stuff. To be safe, try and stay away from the plot of the space stuff too...

COOLNESS!

It''s simple:
- Do not call your game "Pikmin X";
- Do not use a comparison to Pikmin;
- Do not use any names already in the game Pikmin;
- Do not make your characters look like Pikmin;

Also, don''t simply make new skins for the Pikmin characters and new names and call it "Wikmyn". If it''s too similar and obviously a knock-off, you''ll end up in court. I''m not saying you''ll lose, but would you want to go through the process?

It''s not simply a question of "borrowing ideas" - if you literally clone the game, you put yourself in the position of facing a lawsuit. You can use ideas...but not their images or names.

Example: you write a book called the Ringwearer. It''s about a young boy who is given a ring forged in evil, and he undertakes a quest to destroy it. The forces of evil try to stop him; the ring has great power, and many are looking to use it for their own purposes.

Blatant Lord of the Rings knockoff - but not necessarily an infringement. If, however, he has an uncle who gave him the ring and there''s a wizard who acts as his advisor, and there are these two black towers, and a volcano he has to drop the ring into, and this deformed creature chasing him because he wants the ring for his own twisted purposes...

...then you end up in court.

Take a look into the Tetris lawsuits. I think a number of people have been screwed because their game infringed on the so-called ''look and feel'' of Tetris.

I don''t think they should be allowed to do that, but you didn''t ask for my opinion anyway.

Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net