Games Workshop: The company that must not be named

I'd like to preface this piece by saying that I have no relationship or affiliation whatsoever with the Games Workshop brand (thank god) and the following is a commentary of their very crude attempt to crush fan movements based around their products.

(Via EikeHein, at Slashdot)

After widespread disappointment that the German film Damnatus, a fan film based on UK gaming franchise Warhammer, would not be released, it seems that Games Workshop (the company behind Warhammer) is amending its Intellectual Property Policy. A lot.

Check it out.

Aside from fan films, you also cannot create a 'Warhammer club', have an avatar that includes any of their IP without a disclaimer, create a webpage that uses their trademark, or even create fliers for your Warhammer event that uses their trademark. They've even gone so far as to highlight that they do not approve of people making use of their IP for their own private use.

See, if I were a more coarse person, I would say that my walls are currently plastered with GW paraphernalia that have been defaced with dirty phrases and crass insinuations about the private lives of orcs and tyranids. Why? Because they're my walls, that's why. And if I want to draw a mural of an Eldar soldier wearing a frilly hat and riding a unicorn, then I consider it my own prerogative to do so, even if no other person were to ever lay eyes on it.

But of course, I wouldn't do any of that because I don't play Warhammer. And I'm merely expressing my opinion here. And I am of the opinion that yes, 'fan works' that are heavily inspired by someone else's copyrighted material should give due credit to the original creator for the use of characters, worlds, mechanics, etc.

BUT I also think that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and there are many brilliant minds that can do great justice to a brand, if given even the slightest opportunity. Also don't forget, without Tolkien, we probably wouldn't have Dungeons & Dragons. Without Anne Rice, Vampire the Masquerade would probably have very different story material. And without Warhammer, we likely wouldn't have this very spiffy looking film:



So let the kids play.