Yeah, TW 2002 started from public code. But it evolved into a very unique game over the years, and it's protected by copyrights. Anyone who wants to create a game based on the same basic ideas can do so, whether they want to start with the earlier public code or just create their own code based on their knowledge of the game. The trick is making the new game unique. It's great to see other games expanding on the basic gameplay of TW, but it's frustrating when someone clones the game and puts their own name on it.
For those who are interested, here's my history of TW.
http://www.eisonline.com/twhistory
That's still evolving as I learn more, and as recent history is made
