‘Game of Life’ Copyright Fight Tests Who Owns Old Creative Works

A bid to wrest the copyright for “The Game of Life” away from Hasbro Inc. has grabbed the attention of creators of old-but-valuable works and companies that commissioned or bought them.

Game designer Bill Markham’s heirs say they have the right to reclaim the copyright to the classic game from Hasbro, but were thwarted by lower courts. So Markham Concepts Inc., backed by entertainment attorneys, an entertainment industry union, and public interest groups, has taken its battle against courts’ half-century-old reading of the 1909 copyright law to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Alteration of the rule could affect rights to creations ...