Get d20 While It's There

Mark Oliva · Nov 12, 2007

This hadn't really occurred to me until I talked to some other publishers. As we know from D&D Brand Manager Scott Rouse's posting, d20 will vanish in less than a year. That means that all of the d20 PDF material for 3.5 that's out there now will have to be remade as new PDFs with the d20 trademark removed. I certainly haven't surveyed the entire industry, but the few publishers I know plan to delete those products rather than redoing them without the logo. If others follow suit, considerable d20 3.5 material could vanish from the market in very short order.

roguerouge · Nov 12, 2007

Any recommendations?

Morrus · Nov 12, 2007

I don't think that's been confirmed - there will be no d20 4E products, but Scott hasn't said that the existing d20 STL for 3.5E products is to be revoked.

HalWhitewyrm · Nov 13, 2007

Scott did say at Gen Con that the current d20 System logo will be retired with the release of 4e, so that could be an indication that the d20 STL will be revoked as well.

Asmor · Nov 13, 2007

I don't pretend to understand anything about the d20 STL (I'm not even exactly sure what STL stands for), but I'd always assumed that, like the SRD (or is it the OGL?) it's not possible to "revoke" the d20 STL. At the very least, it seems like old products should receive a "grandfather" consideration or something, even if new products are not allowed to use the d20 logo.

I guess this is why I'm a math major and now a law major.

JDJblatherings · Nov 13, 2007

they can most certainly revoke the d20 STL whenever they wish. They can also update the STL to require different standards of use, they have already done this in the past.

Bacris · Nov 13, 2007

STL = System Trademark License - i.e. allowing 3rd parties to use the d20 logo.

As for what happens if it's revoked? My legalese isn't up to snuff enough to say definitively, but if it uses the "Effects of Termination" clause - every printed book would need to be destroyed and every PDF would need to be deleted - by publishers / distributors, not by consumers, obviously. And any websites / merchandising material would similarly need to be destroyed / had the d20 logo removed.

Roudi · Nov 15, 2007

I don't suppose it's possible for them to expire the license on a specific date, is it? Perhaps updating the license with an effective end date, so products released prior to the date do not have to disappear or change, but products released on or after the date cannot use the license?

That would make the most sense to me.

trancejeremy · Nov 16, 2007

I'm not sure they would do that though, because it would simply cause most companies to dump their d20 products on the market, like Green Ronin just did, at liquidation prices. To get more money than just pulping it.

And flooding the market, even with old material, at the time of the lauch probably would have a negative effect on sales. Maybe not a big one, but still noticeable.

Roudi · Nov 17, 2007

... then expire it well before launch. Really, expiring the license is not going to prevent the glut of pre-4E sales material that will undoubtedly drop at bargain-basement prices before the new edition is released...

... but if that is what they think will happen if they expire the license at the same time 4E drops, then expire it well prior to that date.