Antiocheian's Journal: TSR's Letters to some anonymous FTP Sites

This is one of the letters TSR sent to anonymous FTP sites in 1994 to force them to remove AD&D related material. It wasn't only meant to remove copyrighted material. Anything bearing an AD&D term such as "THAC0" or "Greyhawk" was infringing, according to the letter, and was meant to be removed. Some people in the AD&D-L mailing list asked TSR which terms were infringing and the response they got was to hire a lawyer.

TSR's Letters to One of Many Anonymous FTP Sites:
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Date: Thu, 28 Jul 94 17:28:59 -0400
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TSR Copyrighted Material

SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR:

Your site was recently included in a list of noted FTP sites for DUNGEONS AND
DRAGONS and ADVANCED DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS gaming material. You should be
aware that DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS and all related marks and properties are
copyrighted by TSR, Inc. of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

You should also be aware that any items created without a specific license
are infringements of TSR copyrights. Such items include (but are not
limited to) any software, net.books, modules, tables, stories, or rules
modifications which contain elements from our copyrighted properties,
including characters, settings, realm names, noted magic items, spells,
elements of the gaming system, such as ARMOR CLASS, HIT DICE, and so forth.
To date, TSR has not licensed any of these net publications.

On behalf of TSR, Inc. I ask that you examine your public net sites at this
time and remove any material which infringes on TSR copyrights.

Our intention is to find a way to license these and future creative efforts.
In the meantime, remove them from your sites without delay.

Please feel free to contact me with comments or questions. I will refer any
pertinent queries to our legal department as soon as I receive them.

Rob Repp | InterNet: [e-mail]
Manager, Digital Projects Group | InterNet: [e-mail]
TSR, Inc. | CompuServe: 76217,761
__________________________________ | GEnie: TSR.Online AOL: TSR Inc
All opinions are my own, not TSR's | 414-248-3625 Fax [phone]

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Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 11:53:57 -0500
To: [e-mail]
From: [e-mail] (Rob Repp)
Subject: jove.cs.pdx.edu
Cc: [e-mail]

Mr. Fred Dayton
cc: Mr. Janaka Jayawardena
Portland State University

Mr. Dayton,

My name is Robert Repp. I work for TSR, Inc., makers of DUNGEONS AND
DRAGONS products. In the course of looking through the public FTP site at
Portland State, I came across a directory pub\frp\*. This directory appears
to contain an older mirror of the MPGNet FTP site. Contained within this
directory are several files which contain trademarks and copyrights owned
by TSR, Inc.

Among these files are several PLAYER'S HANDBOOK entries reproduced in their
entirety, several net.books which contain TSR copyrights and trademarks,
and properties owned by several other publishers.

While I cannot speak for other companies, on behalf of TSR, Inc. I must ask
you to remove all of these files from your site. They infringe on TSR
copyrights and trademarks, and should not be published from your site. We
have licensed MPGNet's FTP site at ftp.mpgn.com to be the sole carrier of
TSR trademarks and copyrights on the Internet at this time. If you wish to
contact them regarding moving your collection to their site, please email
David Brooks ([e-mail]) for information.

Please feel free to contact me at any of the addresses listed below, or by
voice from 9am to 5pm CST. I will gladly try to answer any questions you
may have regarding this matter.

Rob Repp | InterNet: [e-mail]
Manager, Digital Projects Group | InterNet: [e-mail]
TSR, Inc. | CompuServe: 76217,761
__________________________________ | GEnie: TSR.Online AOL: TSR Inc
All opinions are my own, not TSR's | 414-248-3625 Fax [phone]

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Anthony Fiarito
cc: Janaka Jayawardena
        Fred Dayton
        Constance Lindman, TSR Legal Dept.

Mr. Fiarito

I connected to jove.cs.pdx.edu today, and was dismayed to find that your
administrative staff has still not removed several files which infringe on
TSR trademarks and copyrights. Further, I found a notice (see below) which
states the administrator's intention to keep and disseminate several of
these files. I must warn you that these files clearly contain
infringements, and that they cannot lawfully be published from your site.

For your convenience, I have listed several sample files which infringe on
TSR copyrights and trademarks. This is not a complete list, but rather
meant to give you some idea of the material in question. Also, your site
appears to be mirroring a European site which is carrying several
questionable files. I will direct an appropriate note that site's
administrator. In the meantime, you should be aware that these files remain
problematic, regardless of their country of origin. Republishing foreign
files doesn't abrogate the need to comply with domestic regulations.

I remind you that we have licensed a site to carry TSR trademarks and
copyrights on the Internet (ftp.mpgn.edu). If you wish to keep your
collection intact and public, I suggest that you email Rob Miracle at
[e-mail] and make arrangements to transfer your holdings en masse.
Otherwise, they should be made inaccessible to the public.

I am in anticipation of your prompt reply.

Rob Repp | InterNet: [e-mail]
Manager, Digital Projects Group | InterNet: [e-mail]
TSR, Inc. | CompuServe: 76217,761
__________________________________ | GEnie: TSR.Online AOL: TSR Inc
All opinions are my own, not TSR's | 414-248-3625 Fax [phone]

ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/Mirrors/eklektik/Net.Spell.Book.tar.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/Mirrors/eklektik/Net_Monster_Manual.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/Mirrors/eklektik/eklektik/adnd/adventures
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/Mirrors/eklektik/eklektik/adnd/magicitems
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/Mirrors/eklektik/eklektik/adnd/misc
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/Mirrors/eklektik/eklektik/adnd/monsters
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/Mirrors/eklektik/eklektik/adnd/README.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/Mirrors/eklektik/eklektik/adnd/rules
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/Mirrors/eklektik/eklektik/adnd/spells
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add-choinski-york.ps.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add-choinski.ps.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add-cleric.ps.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add-generic.ps.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add-german.tex.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add-mage.ps.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add-simple.tex.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add-thief.ps.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add.latex.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add.ps.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add2.ps.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add3.ps.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/char-sheets/add4.ps
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/alpha-spells.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/cursed-items.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/jayme-spells
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/laundry
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/magic-items.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/MagicItems.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/MD.colleges.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/MD.intro.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/MD.notes.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/MD.ps.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/MD.spells.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/music
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/New.Magic.Item.List.Z
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/spells
ftp://jove.cs.pdx.edu//pub/frp/magic/wand-o-wonder