Patents, Copyright and Trademarks, Oh My! What you can and cannot reuse from an existing board game, Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast Ep 160

Patents, Copyright and Trademarks, Oh My! What you can and cannot reuse from an existing board game.

We answer a question about using the mechanics from an older board game in your current game design and spend some time talking about copyright, intellectual property, trademarks and patents. We also review Disney Sidekicks, a new cooperative game from Eric Lang, and share some more thoughts on Lost Ruins of Arnak, Doodle Dungeon and more.

Episode 160 of the Tabletop Bellhop Gaming Podcast, recorded January 12th, 2022. Join us as we stream live every week on Wednesdays at 9:00 PM Eastern on Twitch.

If you’d like to watch the (slightly less edited) video version of this recording you can jump to the bottom of the post.

Disclosure: Some links below are affiliate links. Using these links costs you nothing extra and helps us offset the cost of producing this show. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some games mentioned in this podcast were provided by publishers as review copies.


—Suggestion Box, Fan Feedback — [00:01:24]

Yardmaster Review on YouTube

The Bellhops Best of 2021:

Galaxy Trucker 2021 Unboxing

Send feedback to moe@tabletopbellhop.com


—Ask The Bellhop— [00:06:41]

Disclaimer: Neither of us are lawyers and nothing said should be taken as legal advice.

β€œIf a game has been patented for more than 20 years, is it legal to use the card mechanics? Is it still covered by intellectual property? 

Regarding card mechanics, if a game is played with numbers, shapes and colours and the goal of the game is to collect matches, can I still play this exact game if I change the numbers, or shapes or colours to a different factor, such as size?”

Send your questions to questions@tabletopbellhop.com


—The Game Room: Disney Sidekicks— [00:34:46]

A detailed looks at this new cooperative game from Eric M. Lang.


—The Bellhop’s Tabletop— [00:58:09]



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