Copyright, license: Game inspired from the Harry Potter Marauder's Map

[shaub]

Hi.

I want to create a game based on The Marauder's Map as seen in Harry Potter.
Search Youtube for Marauder's Map, if you're interested, I can't post the link...

I want to make the map look as much like the map featured in the movie as possible. I was specifically thinking of pausing the DVD and do a drawing from I look at... Would that be OK? I mean, Rowling describes the map in her books, so I could have derived the design (meaning: the places of Hogwart's) from the books and just be inspired from the movie.

Also, I guess Harry Potter is trademarked, but can I still write something like

'"The Marauder's Map" as known from the popular Harry Potter* series'
*Harry Potter is trademark of ...

And thus still refer to Harry Potter? And can I use names of the characters, e.g. place Dumbledore on the map?

I was reading, Threshold of originality - Wikipedia, and the US Copyright website, but that didn't really clear things up...

PS: Please just comment on the questions, and not the originality of the idea, I know a game already exists... Thanks. : )

[BusinessAdviser]

You'd be violating the copyrights of the owner, and the owner has shown a history of legal action to protect the rights.

[The Phantom Ghost]

Yee sounds way dogey, using themes and scenes from there material will get the game took off you.

I actually sold 1200 board games of my own years ago and stopped. Surely you would have to pay them a royalty??? An yee im commentating on your questions....

[akula]

ditto
it's a no go

look, to violate copyright successfully, you either ought to breach the originality threshold (hard) or base your work on stuff in the public domain (easier)

i.e. take tolkien's or whatever maps and base your stuff off that
show some documented proof setting out the aforementioned and you're sweet...well, relatively speaking