Hasbro wins game of life in royalties lawsuit
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It’s one of life’s enduring questions when it comes to rights and royalties: If you are hired to make something, is it yours or does it belong to the person who paid you to make it?
A federal judge in Los Angeles on Friday answered that for Pawtucket, Rhode Island, toy company Hasbro Inc., which faced a lawsuit filed by the widow of toy inventor Bill Markham who claimed her husband was denied the legacy of The Game of Life as its true creator and lost $2 million in royalties as a result, according to The Providence Journal.
She also claimed that famed game inventor Reuben Klamer, who is said to have created some 200 toys and games in his lifetime, took full credit, as numerous sources point to him as the creator of Life.
Both officials at Hasbro and Mr. Klamer argued in court that Mr. Markham was hired by Mr. Klamer to create a prototype for the game, according to the article.
The judge on Friday ruled that creating of the game was a “collective effort” and that the copyright belonged to the hirer and not the worker, according to the newspaper.
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