[MUD-Dev2] [BIZ] Unauthorised Publishing of My Work

[Keith Dunwoody]

mud-dev-list at jaruzel.com wrote:

> My problem is that it has been included on a cover CD for a book that
> has been published in Australia, entitled 'Build your own Games'. ( The
> book is not available outside Australia, I had to obtain a copy via
> ebay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170056650743
> ). Inside the book are screenshots of MUD32, and a 10 page tutorial
> (written by the books author).
> 
> I was never contacted by the author of the book prior to its
> publication. I only found out about it when a reader contacted me
> directly for help. As the book was sold in the shops in Australia and
> has a clear cover price on it, I assume that the author was paid for his
> efforts by the publisher. As such I believe that he has illegally
> profited from my work.
> 
> Without a clear usage licence, I am unsure where I stand? Is this
> something I can or should challenge legally?

Somebody has to state the obvious:

Talk to a lawyer.  "Legal advice" received on the Internet is worth
about what you pay for it.  Laws are quite different depending on where
you live, so even if what someone tells you is true where they live, it
might not be true where you live.