sinctheassasin wrote:as a question, does adding a few territs to a copyrighted layout take it out of danger for a lawsuit? I assume not, because we wouldve just added Antarctica to our old classic and be done with it...
Just wanted to know before I started something in the foundry

Depends on the wording of the copyright. Copyright protects the idea. In some cases, copyright suits have been won for use of three notes from a copyrighted song, because the notes were distinctive enough to be considered the intellectual property of the original writer.
Use of the attack pattern, for example, could probably be considered a copyright infringement, if Hasbro lawyers wanted to look at Art and Shapes for the pattern.
If they do not want to look that aggressively, then changing just one feature significantly enough could protect the maker from copyright suits.
Many books are copyrighted to the point that copying more than a page could be considered a violation. Some have exceptions in that, if the material is being used for classroom purposes, copying an entire section, such as a chapter, for a handout, is allowable. In some cases, copying a chapter is technically illegal but people do it anyway, because, "who wants to sue a teacher for introducing a portion of material to a class?"
Bottom line: if you REALLY want to know the answer, contact Hasbro and ask what is and isn't permissible for use from their Risk game; i.e. ask for the specific copyright wording and have a lawyer interpret it for you.
