Sherlock Holmes in the Public Domain! After a lengthy copyright battle with the Conan Doyle Estate, Sherlock Holmes is ruled to be in the public domain in the US, which it
kind of already was. My understanding is that it is a similar situation to a few of the later HP Lovecraft stories, where given the date of publication, pieces of the canon have remained in a legal grey area. Specifically, the dread German spy Von Bork is now usable by anyone.
Free at last
I'm not a die hard advocate of public domaining everything. I even have mixed feelings about some big ones, Superman and Mickey Mouse. Public domain laws are there to protect the copyright holders and creators. I've never really heard a convincing explanation as to why Disney should give up Mickey Mouse. Although I think everyone would find that to be pretty fun, writing whatever Superman stuff we so desire.
Holmes and Gaming
Holmes and gaming, what a wonderful idea. Since Sherlock Holmes is in the Public Domain now, what would you do with him? An RPG? A board game? I have a copy of
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Game that I haven't had a chance to play yet. Has there been any worthwhile Sherlock Holmes RPGS? Will there be?
