Adding free PDFs from defunct 3PPs to the Downloads section?

[Knightfall]

Here's something that I'm not sure of.

Many of the third-party publishers that produced material using the d20 system and OGL are now gone. And with those companies demise, many of the FREE PDFs they often gave away have disappeared too.

Now, we have a downloads section here at EN World and it came to mind that some of those old files could be uploaded so that d20/OGL fans could always have access to them.

However, since the logo licence is now gonzo, what are the restrictions on the Downloads section? If a free PDF has the defunct d20 logo embedded into it, is it forbidden to be posted online anywhere even if it's free?

I figured I ask first before uploading some of the free PDFs done by Dark Portal Games (i.e. Dead Fire adventure).

Regards,

Knightfall1972

 

[Mark]

Even free pdfs cannot be redistributed without permission of the copyright holder.

 

[Nifft]

Even free pdfs cannot be redistributed without permission of the copyright holder.

Right, but what if the copyright holder is an entity which no longer exists?

If nobody has legal standing to sue you for performing an action, is that action thereby legal?

Cheers, -- N

 

[Umbran]

Right, but what if the copyright holder is an entity which no longer exists?

The rights always devolve to someone. Maybe the author, maybe the people who were involved in the company before it dissolved, maybe whoever bought the company's assets when it folded, or someone else. But having the company fold does not make the product public domain. Ever.

If nobody has legal standing to sue you for performing an action, is that action thereby legal?

There's someone who has the rights, even if we don't know who it is.

 

[Knightfall]

Even free pdfs cannot be redistributed without permission of the copyright holder.

That's what I thought.