(Whoops. Apparently Outlook sends if you happen to be holding Ctrl when you hit enter. Let's try this again...) > generally game mechanics haven't been patented. Icehouse (the game, not the system) has been: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?u=%2Fnetahtml%2Fsrchnum.htm&Sect1= PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&r=1&l=50&f=G&d=PALL&s1=4936585.PN.&OS=PN/4936585&RS=PN /4936585 > The pieces themselves I think would actually have a very > limited amount of > legal protection, if any I found this interesting essay from Andy: http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Andy/Games/PatentsAndLawsuits.html "Here is our new official policy: If you manufacture and sell your own Icehouse pieces, but you make less than $100 a year doing so, we ask only that you send us a sample of your wares. If you're making more than $100 a year profit selling Icehouse pieces, we would request then that you pay us a small royalty on each sale. In either case, we would request that you credit us as the designers (and list our URL) in whatever literature you also publish." So that covers the "manufacture your own" scenario. As for the reselling Looney-made pieces that you bought, that seems to me to be covered under the doctrine of first sale. You have the right to resell anything you've bought.