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Xerox lost its look-and-feel case against Apple for the WIMP interface (Window Icon Mouse Program). The result is now even Bill Gates can pretend to have the same thing in Windows.
If you are writing your mud from scratch (really from scratch, not a function-by-function rewrite like some people try) and have plenty of your own unique internal features it doesn't matter how much you may have seen the other guy's code - you are PERFECTLY legal, but this does not prevent the other guy from making claims that you are not.
My advice is to do yours better than the original ROM but have your internals based upon mechanics inspired by something built after ROM. Then any lawsuit by ROM looks like sour grapes.
The purpose of any copyright is NOT to prevent the rest of the world from making new developments, it is only to recognize the author's legitimate right to defend the fruit of their own labor from theft - which I understand you are NOT planning to steal.
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