Hello, I am lawyer with a PSA: almost everyone is wrong about the OGL and SRD. Clearing up confusion.

[mamba]

Even if they properly stop and never proceed, there are too many big name 3PP who’ve publicly and privately said they’re walking away.

I hope they evaluate their options, figure out how to best get away from the OGL and then do, because WotC cannot be trusted any more

 

[mamba]

Now we just need to know who among the 3PP signed on to screw over everyone else.

1) you will notice when their products come up with the mandatory badge, 2) I am not sure I consider them caving the same as screwing over others, WotC screwed all of them, every single one is a victim

 

[Steel_Wind]

If WotC does end up revoking the OGL 1.0a, will new sublicenses be possible? Saying that sublicences survive the termination seems to imply that they would need to exist prior to termination.

I don't think that's necessarily follows at all.

It could mean that, sure.

It could also mean that only the original OGL work by another party needs to be created. The sublicensing rights continue. The ongoing nature of the OGL was how other producers might obtain brand value out of the OGL, too, just as WotC was receiving. That was the carrot.

 

[sigfried]

The OGL definitely does not require that you use material from the SRD. You can use it with completely original material.

The one reason I could see smaller publishers going non-OGL as a strategic move is detectability. If you have the OGL text, its easy scrape that up in a search to send letters to etc...

If you are "running dark" and not copy-pasting SRD material, it's harder to get a 100% certain hit on your material in an automated search. They could, but they would get a lot of false positives doing that as well, making things costlier and messier. I don't think that helps a larger publisher who everyone knows, but the little guys who are basically under the radar go a bit darker by dropping the OGL and any associated marks like 5e.

Still, I think folks would be wise to prepare but not act until we see what WOTC actually does.

 

[S'mon]

Based upon what was revealed here:


Ogl 1.1 is real, it was planned to be released on the 4th with sign on required by the 13th. It was attached to contracts they sent out to big third party companies with the idea being they get the big third parties to sign on to sweetheart contracts and OGL 1.1 is a done deal because none of the smaller third parties would be capable of affording litigating it.

WotC/Hasbro was actually going down this dirty road and only stopped because somebody leaked it before it could be announced.

WotC/Hasbro was 10 seconds from midnight on Nuclear Lawfare.

 

[Xyxox]

Is that a gut instinct or evidence-based? Not a criticism either way, but if the latter, what are you basing it on?

Gut instinct. It already went out attached to contracts to convince third parties to sign the sweetheart deal. If even one of those contracts has been exercised, they MUST release it, it all comes down to when and how.

 

[Bohandas]

I wish 'legal' and 'right, ethical and moral' had a lot more overlap than they actually do

They have overlap?

 

[Xyxox]

1) you will notice when their products come up with the mandatory badge, 2) I am not sure I consider them caving the same as screwing over others, WotC screwed all of them, every single one is a victim

And I will never buy a product from any of those who sign.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Bohandas]

I wish 'legal' and 'right, ethical and moral' had a lot more overlap than they actually do

"When morality is forgotten, there is law" -Lao Tzu

 

[mamba]

They have overlap?

not by design it seems, but sometimes accidentally