I have developed a puzzle and I want to understand if I can protect this puzzle by copyright.
For the sake of discussion, we can compare this puzzle with the well known one, ‘Sudoku’.
1]The puzzle can be generated using a computer program.
2]There can be millions of generated representations of the puzzle.
3]The generation method can be circumvented. The puzzle can also be generated by other methods outside of my computer program, say manually.
I believe, that I can copyright all of these
1] the computer program to generate the puzzle
2] the specific generated representation of the puzzle ("fixed on a medium")
3] The ‘rules of the game’
I cannot go ahead and copyright each of the generated representations of the puzzle. ( as it runs to few millions)
Are the puzzles that my computer program generates, is automatically copyrighted? (as it’s a creation is by my copyrighted computer program.)
Since copyright does not protect the “idea” or “the factual information” of the puzzle, the infringer can claim that (s)he has generated the puzzle outside of my copyrighted computer program. Does that mean, I lost the intellectual protection by copyright?
PS: I also understand that this concept is patentable as its novel, non-obvious, and has an application;
but I want to see If this can be protected by means of copyright? (considering, costs involved and duration of protection, copyright is preferable.)
