What is the copyright on the board game Guess Who?

I have an idea for a similar game to Guess Who. I'm not going to explain it on here, but what I can say is all the pictures are different and not copyrighted. That part I'm afraid of is that fact the board is the same with the pieces you flip down as you ask questions.


Keep in mind, this game isn't for my personal use, it is intended to be presented to a company and sold for other people's use.


What I'm asking is is the idea of the board for the game Guess Who copyrighted? Or can I use that basic idea?


Thanks for all help in advance!|||Copyright doesn't prevent anyone else from using the "idea" of the game. To prevent you from using their invention (in the form of rules for a game), they would have to patent it. Patents are expensive, only enforceable in the country where you obtained it, and last only 14-20 years.





To make sure you're clear, you may need to hire a patent attorney to do a search for you and to write you a legal clearance opinion.|||I have two games incredibly similar to guess who at home, with the pictures to flip up and down and guess who the other person has. However, neither of these are Guess Who - they are another companies make. One was sold in a shop (WH Smith) as a cheap version and the other I got free in a magazine with celebrities to guess. However, this is in the UK, and US law generally has much tougher copyright laws