287 replies to this topic

[Cousin Vinnie]

I just gots to say that this game looks great...

I like Birdie3's warp idea too, by the way.

Anyway... I want a Beef Drop as of yesterday. I can't wait to review the first 7800 homebrew at Panoramic Froo Froo. Since I have reviewed every game, this would pump new life blood back into the site.

Cousin Vinnie

[Shawn Sr.]

I think Parker owns the name

[Shannon]

Read the summary on the creation of q*bert by the programmer himself and this caught my eye....

Quote

Faster Harder More Challenging Q*bert

I still have one of the original engineering samples of Q*bert along with a version of the program which was never released. It was an intended sequel called Faster Harder More Challenging Q*bert. It's basically just that. The discs move so you have to time your jumps. After a few levels of Coily, you get a large female Q*bert-like creature called Q*bertha who "wants" Q*bert much as Coily does. There are some other harder features which kick in after a couple of levels and the game is just faster from the start. There is also a bonus round where tons of Slick and Sam guys fall and you try to jump on as many as you can in a certain amount of time. You also want to let them change as many cube tops as you can and you score points for those when the round is over.

Hmmmmmmmm.

[mojofltr]

Faster, Harder, More Challenging Q*bert (prototype)

If you would like to try it in Mame, the roms are available... Google for "sqbert.zip".

[gdement]

Albert said:

birdie3 said:

Is it fair to assume that because of the walking on Atari/Infogrames eggshells that goes on here, this game will have to be changed slightly and renamed?

Not sure, but someone must own the rights to the Q*bert name (Atari or otherwise), and changing the name of the game is one way to help divert attention away from it. Some research needs to be done to see who presently owns the rights to the game.

..Al

I looked this up a while ago, and according to www.uspto.com the trademark for Q*Bert on a video game cartridge belongs to Columbia Pictures. I have no idea why they have it, they must have a subsidiary in video games or something. I don't know about the copyright, but it would seem logical for the same company to also own the copyright.

[BeerGnome]

gdement said:

Albert said:

birdie3 said:

Is it fair to assume that because of the walking on Atari/Infogrames eggshells that goes on here, this game will have to be changed slightly and renamed?

Not sure, but someone must own the rights to the Q*bert name (Atari or otherwise), and changing the name of the game is one way to help divert attention away from it. Some research needs to be done to see who presently owns the rights to the game.

..Al

I looked this up a while ago, and according to www.uspto.com the trademark for Q*Bert on a video game cartridge belongs to Columbia Pictures. I have no idea why they have it, they must have a subsidiary in video games or something. I don't know about the copyright, but it would seem logical for the same company to also own the copyright.

well of course a live action Q-bert movie!
John goodman can be 'bert, Gary Busey, or Dennis Hopper as Coiley..
hmm..adam sandler and rob schiender as those two green guys...

[FujiSkunk]

BeerGnome said:

well of course a live action Q-bert movie!
John goodman can be 'bert, Gary Busey, or Dennis Hopper as Coiley..
hmm..adam sandler and rob schiender as those two green guys...

I'll have what he's having.

[Bakasama]

gdement said:

I looked this up a while ago, and according to www.uspto.com the trademark for Q*Bert on a video game cartridge belongs to Columbia Pictures.  I have no idea why they have it, they must have a subsidiary in video games or something.  I don't know about the copyright, but it would seem logical for the same company to also own the copyright.

I believe at the time Columbia Pictures did in fact own Gottlieb when Q*bert was made. Since then I think Sony bought Columbia Pictures along with anything Columbia Pictures owned including Gottlieb.

As to the question owns Q*bert. I think Sony owns Q*bert now. I could be very much wrong about that.

[mojofltr]

I'm guessing you are correct:

http://www.sonypictu...bert_title.html

[Bryan]

Bakasama said:

gdement said:

I looked this up a while ago, and according to www.uspto.com the trademark for Q*Bert on a video game cartridge belongs to Columbia Pictures.  I have no idea why they have it, they must have a subsidiary in video games or something.  I don't know about the copyright, but it would seem logical for the same company to also own the copyright.

I believe at the time Columbia Pictures did in fact own Gottlieb when Q*bert was made. Since then I think Sony bought Columbia Pictures along with anything Columbia Pictures owned including Gottlieb.

As to the question owns Q*bert. I think Sony owns Q*bert now. I could be very much wrong about that.

Columbia sold off Gottlieb, and it became Mylstar. Later, the Pinball division resurfaced as Primier. I think finding the rights might be a bit more complex. I'd start by looking at the packaging for modern re-releases of Q*Bert and see whose trademarks are mentioned.

-Bry

[Ferris]

From what I've been told from an existing senior Atari employee for the current Atari, Q*bert was sold off to Sony not too long ago.

[birdie3]

It's neat to see that Q*Bert is still very much alive and well as well as popular in the sense that you can download it on to your cellular device for a small fee. I hope that a simple name change would be enough to divert any legal hassles in relation to this 7800 version. Surely there must be alot of grey areas where this is concerned.

[Albert]

mojofltr said:

I'm guessing you are correct:
http://www.sonypictu...bert_title.html

Yeah, the bottom of that page states,

"Qbert is a trademark of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc"

And since Columbia Pictures is owned by Sony, that would put the rights into Sony's hands.

..Al

[Shannon]

mojofltr said:

Faster, Harder, More Challenging Q*bert (prototype)

If you would like to try it in Mame, the roms are available...  Google for "sqbert.zip".  

You know for some dumb reason I was getting that game mixed up with qbert qubes. Thanks for the reminder.

[TheWriteDude]

Call it "Harder, Faster".

Or go for the generic "Cube Hop" (recalled "Beef Drop").

[TheWriteDude]

Elaborating on what I posted in the other thread:

Finish the clone of Q*Bert and call it something like Cube Hop. Maybe you can just give this game away as a ROM so as to avoid legal issues with Sony.

Make an elaborate "hack" based on the code of your Q*Bert clone. Make a sequel to Beef Drop (called Beef Hop). You hop the chef around, and the enemies are the enemies from Beef Drop. Your chef can also throw pepper in four directions.

Make the cubes into burgers, which have everything except the top bun. When the chef hops onto the incomplete burgers, the top bun is added.

In higher levels, when the chef has to hop onto an incomplete burger more than once, ingredients like the lettuce, hamburger and then the top bun are added. At the highest difficulty, the level starts with nothing but lower buns and your chef has to hop to add the meat, lettuce and then the top bun. In other levels, things are mixed up: some of the burgers start as just lower buns, others already have the meat and lettuce added.

[Rob Mitchell]

Albert said:

And since Columbia Pictures is owned by Sony, that would put the rights into Sony's hands.

Sony can be tough! About 10 years ago a lady who owns a restaurant in NYC got sued by Sony Corp and she was required to change the name of her restaurant. Her given name is Sony and her restaurant was Sony's Restaurant and it had been there for about 25-30 years prior!

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[FujiSkunk]

Dagnabbit.

Forgive me for the crosspost. I originally posted this in the other, supposedly dead Q*Bert thread:

skunkworx said:

Going back to the name thing...

For what it's worth, there was an Apple II Q*Bert clone released back in the day, named Cubit. Some pf the characters had slightly different shapes, but otherwise it was Q*Bert in all but name.

I can't say for sure the company that released Cubit didn't face the wrath of Gottlieb and/or Parker Brothers, but I'm assuming they didn't. So, simply changing the name may be enough to keep the lawyers happy, or at least looking the other way.

I'd still rather see Q*Bert in all his 7800 glory, but if I can't, some cube-hopping dude with a different name will be the next best thing.

[Gregory DG]

Cuber! (Sounds like Q*bert without the "T")

[The_Laird]

Still LOVE the name Al*bert ... He he he ...

[Trip_Cannon]

Since Q*bert is such a fowl mouthed creature, how about naming it "Holy $h!t!"

[Clint Thompson]

Gregory DG said:

Cuber! (Sounds like Q*bert without the "T")

I like Cuber

I just did check this out on the emu I downloaded at work... and it friggin rocks! Good work !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't wait to get Cuber on the 7800

[Lord Helmet]

Trip_Cannon said:

Since Q*bert is such a fowl mouthed creature, how about naming it "Holy $h!t!"

I know I shouldn't like this idea...but I do...

[Goochman]

I think Qwerty is a great name if not already used.

[Bakasama]

Trip_Cannon said:

Since Q*bert is such a fowl mouthed creature, how about naming it "Holy $h!t!"

If this game gets a sequel, "Faster, Harder, More Challenging, Holy $h!t!" has a nice ring to it. However, it could make a weird and interesting Easter Egg.