Does Puzzle games like Tetris, have copyrighted, and if they have, How do i find the information on who has the copyright? Thank You for the info.

Copyright? Do you mean Trademark?
Read:
http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/showfaq.asp?forum_id=5
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson39.htm
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/faq61.htm

Quote: Original post by Tom Sloper
Copyright? Do you mean Trademark?

I think he meant, does the game itself have copyright on it? Because AFAIK, the name is protected by trademark, but the game itself is protected by copyright.

Quote: Original post by sdkudrgn88
I think he meant, does the game itself have copyright on it? Because AFAIK, the name is protected by trademark, but the game itself is protected by copyright.

I think he (like many others) doesn't know the difference between copyright and trademark. In my rude little way, I pointed out to him that there is a difference. Hopefully he has come back to discover that, or will come back soon.
This forum's FAQ is a recommended read.

I don't have the citation handy but the supreme court has ruled that game rules cannot be protected by copyright, but the artistic display, and, of course the name of a game are protected by copyright.

Lots of current litigation with Zynga and the rest of the casual gaming world that touches on these subjects.

For a game like tetris, it's difficult to separate the rules from the display so I don't know how it would be decided. Unless you have really, really deep pockets it's likely you'd be done if they were to start any form of legal action.

Quote: Original post by NateDog
I don't have the citation handy but the supreme court has ruled that game rules cannot be protected by copyright, but the artistic display, and, of course the name of a game are protected by copyright.

Lots of current litigation with Zynga and the rest of the casual gaming world that touches on these subjects.

For a game like tetris, it's difficult to separate the rules from the display so I don't know how it would be decided. Unless you have really, really deep pockets it's likely you'd be done if they were to start any form of legal action.

The statement that "games rules are not protected by copyright" requires qualification. While it is generally accepted that the manner and system by which a game is played is not protected under copyright (because systems and methods are, by default, void of any copyright protection), the creative expression contained in the rules or game may be subject to copyright protection. The wholesale copying of a rules book or game code would fall afoul of copyright law. If the wholesale copying of a phone book constitutes copyright infringement (and believe me, it does), it stands to reason that the wholesale copying of a physical expression of rules stated in a specific format, artwork, and other creative elements to a game would also be protected under copyright.

Titles are never protected under copyright. They are protected under trademark.

In the case of Tetris, the name "Tetris" is protected under trademark. The game's source and binary code are protected under trademark. Furthermore, individual creative expression such as artwork used in the game would also arguably be protected under copyright, as well as any musical or textual components. The system and method of play itself is not subject to copyright protection-- for instance, if you came up with a distinct method of using circles or other geometric forms to create the same "matching" game system, it is unlikely to run afoul of copyright.

However, some game developers do patent their game systems. As patent is one thing you really CAN'T get around, it's smart to determine whether the particular game system you want to reproduce is patented.