LANDLORD'S GAME - 1924

Designed by:  Elizabeth Magie Phillips
Date of Game: 1924
Patent: 1,509,312  Sept. 23, 1924
Image Origin Unknown 
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The game below is based on Elizabeth Magie Phillips 1924 Landlord's Game design and patent. It was followed in 1932 by a variation that added the game 'Prosperity.' The 1924 Landlord's Game patent and design should not be confused with Magie's earlier 1904 Landlord's Game patent and design.

You will see this patent number under the Parker Brother's Monopoly patent number on some of Parker Brother's very early Monopoly boards. They bought the this patent from Lizzie Magie for $500, but they knew about and failed to mention the earlier 1904 patent filed under the same name, the Landlord's Game, which by then had gone into public domain. Why is that important? Because it was the earlier 1904 patent that the Parker Brother's later patent claims violated. Basically, it made it look like Parker Brother's had purchased the rights to all versions of The Landlord's Game, but the later patent by Magie had evolved away from the earlier patent and as pointed out by Ralph Anspach during his trial research and depositions, this was a ruse, a coverup to divert the public's attention away from the public domain rights to the game design origins.

Landlord's Game Board - E. Magie Phillips - 1924

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