Is this a term that is copyright to GW?
Not according to their own trademark list (http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?catId=&categoryId=§ion=&pIndex=5&aId=3900002&start=6#).
Quote from: Ghost Whistler;396086Is this a term that is copyright to GW?
Why do you ask?
If you are realistically concerned about being sued then you should consult a lawyer who can tell you the difference between copyright, trademark, product identity, etc., etc.
Don't take legal advice from the internet. At least that is my advice. :)
My advice is to always trust the advice you get from the Internet.
Wikipedia - the site of ultimate truth - only has 40k references for Psyker which surprised me. I would have thought such a term would have popped up in Anime and video games.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyker
If you are worried you can aways use the term "psycher", which in any event is the more natural spelling (from I presume the root "psyche"). Anyway that's whata I did for my homebrew.
Quote from: Soylent Green;396150If you are worried you can aways use the term "psycher", which in any event is the more natural spelling (from I presume the root "psyche"). Anyway that's whata I did for my homebrew.
I found a ref to psyker on wiki for Gundam, which predates 40k by a while: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM-X_Crossbone_Gundam
It also appears to be in the game Fallout: http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Psyker
I don't know if this is the kind of thing that has any impact on the possibility of copyrighting a word, but 'psyker' is a normal and usable word in Danish (the plural of 'psyke', the Danish spellling of 'psyche').
Quote from: DKChannelBoredom;396232I don't know if this is the kind of thing that has any impact on the possibility of copyrighting a word, but 'psyker' is a normal and usable word in Danish (the plural of 'psyke', the Danish spellling of 'psyche').
If thats true , then in the fictional setting of your game or story just say that the leading scientist that discovered humanity was capable of psionics and psychic powers was Danish.
He was the pioneer that showed provable and repeatable results of Psionic training to the world. As a result, the term ' Psyker ' became the accepted slang term for people with these capabilities.
- Ed C.
When you say it or use it (the word 'psyker'), unless you are a certain kind of Northman, will have heavy connotations to GW IP.
For gamers, I mean. Maybe not the Legalese.
It would be like if I published a game and used the term "Sand People".
Those are real words in English. They have severe IP connotations that will be drawn by my target audience, however. Because everyone has seen Star Wars.
Most gamers know enough about GW to hate them. Including some of their most used terminologies.
You could always use the more traditional "psychic", instead of "psyker".
or ESPer
Psyker is just the right amount of grit.
Back in the late 80s, maybe. Today, its just lame.
RPGPundit
Name a better word then.
I would go with Psychic, myself.
RPGPundit