Play Meter

Issue: 1985 September 15 - Vol 11 Num 17

Lloyd stresses need
to stop copies
The General System Preferences
(GSP) Subcommittee met on June 24 in
Washington. D.C .. concerning the pref-
erential treatment given ceriain coun-
tries exporiing into the United States.
The major concern of the coin-
operated amusement industry is the
proli1eration of illegal copies of video
game boards being sent to the United
States from Korea under preferential
tariff treatment. With preferential
treatment. Korea can impori into the
United States at little cost.
Korea is a prime source o f counter-
feit boards and members of the coin-
op industry testified before the com-
mittee they want it to be stopped.
Bob Uoyd. president of Data East
and the American Amusement
Machine Association (AAMA). said
that there are no legal video game
manufacturers in Korea. so no game
boards should come from that country.
Lloyd noted that the Korean Traders
Association is anxious to work with
AAMA " They recognize that there is a
problem." said Uoyd. " There are some
legitimate manufacturers of other
electronics who would be penalized if
no electronic boards could be
exporied to the U.S. from Korea .
However. there is no way to distinquish
legitimate boards from illegal ones.
Our attitude is that if you can't tell. send
them all back."
Lloyd submitted a statement to the
committee in which he stated. "The
association has been forced to take an
aggressive position with respect to the
criminal prosecution of counterfeiters
of video games ... necessitated by the
growning in1lux of counterfeit games
into the U.S. and resultant economic
difficulties ... and the loss of over S400
million in industry sales to these
criminal counterfeiters ... "
Lloyd pointed out that industry
sources and the FBI have determined
that Korea is becoming the major
source of the counterfeit video game
boards. and the proliferation of these
boards has reached epidemic pro-
poriions. Uoyd continued to say that
the current economic trends have
reduced the industry's ability to
absord legitimate games. let alone
the in1lux of counterteits. Uoyd said. "It
is estimated that illegally counter-
feited games account for one half of
all video games currently in
operation."
Lloyd summed up that he sincerely
PLAY METER. September 1 5. 1985
hoped that the committee would work
with custo ms to thwari the invasion of
illegal copies and lift the preferential
treatment given Korea in imporiing
copied games.

Japan revises
copyright laws
The copyright law in Japan has
been pariially revised to include com-
puter programs as literary works
covered under the copyright laws. The
bill was established on June 7. 1985.
and will take effect in January 1986.
Masaya Nakamura. president of
Namco and chairman of the Japan
Amusement Machinery Manufac-
turers Association (JAMMA) spoke on
behalf of the industry at a May 30
House of Councilors meeting .
Nakamura said at that meeting.
" Although those engaged in amuse-
ment business have made strenuous
efforis to improve the copyright law.
contributing a great deal to improve-
ment of business. only the deed of bad
fellows has been stressed. and our
business has been subjected to strict
controls."
In Japan's current copyright law.
the copyrights of literary works are
protected both civilly and criminally.
However. computer programs have
not been included in these literary
works. As a result of litigation against
copiers by manufacturers of video
games. judgements have been
passed to the effect that. although not
specifically covered under copyright
law. computer programs are literary
works to be protected.
The new copyright law defined a
computer program and made it an
example of literary works. According
to Nakamura the move towards revi-
sion storied by several judgements
won by amusement game manufac-
turers. However. Nakamura said. " The
revison of the law has been
demanded for many years. finally
leading to the current decison to
revise it. Despite this. I'm dissatisfied
with the fact that there are exceptions.
I'm doubtful that due considerations
were given to the treatment of video
games which use a computer pro-
gram for CRT display."
His doubts stem from an issue
brought forih by the Ministry of Inter-
national Trade and Industry ( MIT!)
which claimed that once computer
programs are provided for as literary
works. not just the video game industry
but the computer industry as a whole.
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9
THE
CALENDAR
Octob.r 12
Washington Amusement & Music
Operators Associa ti on General
Meeting/ Election of Officers. Contact
Yvonne Kline, 509/ 457-5891 .
Octob.r 31-Nov•mb.r 2
AMOA 1985 International Exposi-
tion of Gomes and Music, Hyatt
Regency Chicago. Chicago. Illinois.
Contact AMOA. 111 East Wacker
Drive. Ch icago . Illinois 60601 .
Telehone ~12/644- 661 0.
To tt. announc.d (Nov•mb.,)
Music & Amusement Association, Inc.
(NY) Annual Meeting & Election of
Officers. Contact Ronald Koppel-
man. 212/245-7550
1906
F..,ruary 7-9
Amusement Operators Expo (AOE).
Mardi Gras weekend, New Orleans
Sheraton Downtown, New Orleans,
LA Telephone 504/488-700~ for
Information.
March 4-5
International Gaming Business Expo-
sition, Tropicono Hotel and Country
Club, Los Vegas. Nevada, USA. Con-
tact Conference Management Cor-
poration, 17 Washington Street, P.O .
Dox 4990. Norwalk. Connecticut
06856. Telephone: 20~/852-0500.
Telex 284997.
March 7-9
Amusement Showcase lntemotionol.
Expocentre . Chicago . Contact
Glosgow-Erikson Inc .. 72~7 Lake
Street, PJver Forest, Illinois 6ro05.
Telephone ~12/ 771 - ~290.
lnt•matlonal Shows
Octob., 10-13
ENADA. Congress Building. Rome:
Contoct,SAPAA Via dl Villa Potrizi. 10-
Cop 00161 . Rome. Telephone
84.41 .505.
Octob., 29-30
A.L. Preview, Novotel. Hammersmith,
London . Contact Howard and
Wikberg Associates. 27 Elizabeth
Mews, London NW~ . Telephone 01 -
722
517~
Nov•mb.r 22-24
lncomot '85. Messepolost, Vienna.
Organizers: Verbond der Munzouto-
motenwi rtschoft. 1200 Wien .
Wollenstelnstrobe 5. Austria. Phone
0222 332187.
10
will be greatly affected. MIT! believes
that computer programs are deeply
related to industrial profit and unsuit-
able for treatment under copyright
laws. However. the Agency of Cultural
Affairs ( ACA) claimed that the revision
would have provisions for this type of
computer program.

Monty Spiegel
passes away
On June 28. Monty SpiegeL active
in the coin-operated amusement
industry for many years. died at the
age of 71.
Born in Scranton. Pennsylvania.
Monty was affiliated with B.D. Lazar
company working in the Scranton and
Philadelphia offices. He left B.D. Lazar
to serve in World War II.
After the war. Monty formed his
own company. Harmony Music Com-
pany. in Vineland. New Jersey. which
he ran until his retirement in 1980.
Bruce Shollenberger of Harmony
Music said. "Monty was a true gentle-
man and will be missed by his many
friends in the area."
Monty is survived by his wife. Helen;
two sons. Richard and Larry; a
daughter. Lorraine Dutta; his mother.
Fanny Spiegel; a brother. Edward:
and two sisters.
Donations to his memory may be
made to Love a Utile One. Box 253.
Vineland. New Jersey; or the Ameri-
can Heart Association. 2 High Street.
Millville. New Jersey.

Nomac sponsors
championships
Nomac Ltd .. manufacturer of Pub
Time Darts. is sponsoring a $20.000
Four State Championships for dart
players from Minnesota. Wisconsin.
Illinois. and Indiana. The tournament
will take place in conjunction with the
AMOA Expo in Chicago. November 1-
3.
The competition is open to all
players in the four states. after quali-
fying at the local level. Operators may
purchase qualifying kits which con-
tain everything the operator will need
to run four quali.fying tournaments
and a location championship .
including the four qualifying certifi-
cates which are awarded to the top
teams.
There is no limit to the number of
kits an operator may purchase. There
will be three categories of play at the
$20.000 tournament-Men's Doubles.
Women's Doubles. and Open Singles
( open to both men and women )-and
the operator may choose which cate-
gory of play he would like to run in his
location for each kit that he purchases.
( For example. an operator may
choose to buy just one kit and run
qualifying tournaments for just one
event. or he may purchase three or
more kits and run qualifying tourna-
ments for all three categories.)
Statistics will be kept during the
local qualifying tournaments which
will enable Nomac to divide the
players into different skills levels at the
S20.000 competition. There will be
three levels of play in Men's Doubles
("A" Flight. " B" Flight. and "C" Flight)
and two skill levels in both Open
Singles and Women's Doubles ("A"
Flight and " B" Flight).
There will also be a Mixed Doubles
category which will be open to all
~®rn
§~il ~B1
DARTS
TM
players with no qualification neces-
sary. There will be a $25 entry fee per
player for the Mixed Doubles event.
but there are noentryfeesfortheother
categories of play.
No mac is also sponsoring a $50.000
National Championships in spring
I 986 which will use the same type of
qualifying format as this $20.000 four
state tournament. A special bonus for
the players who compete in the
$20.000 tournament will be automatic
qualification in the same category of
play at the $50.000 National Cham-
pionships.
The $20.000 Four State Champion-
ships will take place at the Ramada
Hotel O 'Hare in the Chicago suburb of
Rosemont. Play will begin Friday
evening and continue through Sun-
day evening. All operators attending
the AMOA Expo are invited to stop by
the tournament and watch the action.
For more information on the Pub
PLAY METER. September 15. 1985

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