95% of you didn't need the OGL and you don't need ORC

[Greg K]

You can't sell it on the Drivethru section either? That is rough. You should try it on itch.io ?

He can't. Spelljammer is IP and not Open Content. Thus, it can only be sold on DMsGuild, because WOTC has given permission to use Spelljammer for products sold on DMsGuild.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I get that you don't understand the difference, but its pretty clear to most lawyers what the difference is.
The dragon stat blocks are copyright, you can't copy it word for word.

Hi, there. I'm a former lawyer, and though my practice did not handle IP law, copyrights and trademarks were my focus in law school. While I agree that the difference is "pretty clear to most lawyers" on a theoretical level, in terms of applying it to actual specific content in an area where there is pretty limited relevant case law it gets real dicey real fast.

While a lawyer could certainly point to many elements of the SRD or what have you that are definitely copyright protected, and could point to a few things that are definitely not, there is a vast amount of rules content that falls into a gray area of legal status too unknown to adopt or adapt with confidence that a court would not only find in your favor but refuse to enjoin you from using while the matter is being decided, and this, in fact, covers much of the exact sort of stuff that someone trying to create compatible content would want to adopt.

 

[rcade]

I create for Starfinder now, and nothing in Starfinder is 3e SRD.

Starfinder is derived from the SRD. Here's the Section 15 of the Core Rulebook (from a PDF I bought a few years ago):

Section 15

Open Game License v 1.0a © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

System Reference Document © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors:
Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary
Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Starfinder Core Rulebook © 2017, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Logan Bonner, Jason
Bulmahn, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Jason Keeley, Robert G. McCreary, Stephen
Radney-MacFarland, Mark Seifter, Owen K.C. Stephens, and James L. Sutter,
with Alexander Augunas, Judy Bauer, John Compton, Adam Daigle, Crystal
Frasier, Lissa Guillet, Thurston Hillman, Erik Mona, Mark Moreland, Jessica
Price, F. Wesley Schneider, Amber E. Scott, and Josh Vogt.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

For software development, the point of open source licenses was that I could take someones entire lifes work, word for word, and reuse it in my project, under the conditions of the license.

The point of the original OGL was that someone could take the 3e D&D rules, reproduce them in their entirety, add their own content and sell that final product as their own.
Examples include Castles and Crusades, 13th age, most of the OSR, etc.

But for all these third-party products, supplements, home brew campaigns, new character classes, new settings... you didn't need the OGL, and you don't need OGL 1.1
nor, in fact, will you need the ORC.

The OGL was a trick to force you on DMSGuild to give away half your profits.

The rules lawyer addresses this specifically at around 11 mins.
Ben talked about this in the past as well.


Of course, if you write an adventure and don't create your own monsters, you just reproduce all the WOTC ones,
a) That is a little lazy.
b) You need the OGL/ORC.

When you realize all this, you also learn how disgusting OGL 1.1 was, trying to steal from prominent creators like Critical Role with no legal standing to do it.

D&D will return when they innovate a 6th edition, but we must teach the Microsoft Executives a lesson. Hopefully, they will be fired.

No quite. The DMsGuild is about using WotC IP, which most definitely is protected. If you don’t understand that I really can’t take this post seriously.

 

[gamerprinter]

He can't. Spelljammer is IP and not Open Content. Thus, it can only be sold on DMsGuild, because WOTC has given permission to use Spelljammer for products sold on DMsGuild.

Otherwise I've never sought to publish anything for D&D, Spelljammer intrigues me, as I design star ships and have designed custom Spelljammer ships long ago (the latter never intended for publication). The 5e Spelljammer books are the only 5e books I've ever purchased. I wanted to get the mechanics right, despite not being a 5e system master. The maps I saw in there are arguably old school, but to me very plain, very 'blah'. And if you know anything about my maps, 'blah' isn't an apt description. So I thought fully custom ships, created in my highly detailed 3D/vector hybrid style would create a standout product for those willing to purchase a Spelljammer 3PP product. The 5e Spelljammer rules seem full of holes, so easy to avoid OGC. So now, having never created a D&D product before, and having just done that (almost done...), I cannot seem to sell it at this time... (I don't have experience with Ichio, nor expectation that it could match the sales volume that DTRPG does for now, that I thought DMGuild would do - not against the idea, but no expectations at all, uncharted territory for me.)

 

[Greggy C]

No quite. The DMsGuild is about using WotC IP, which most definitely is protected. If you don’t understand that I really can’t take this post seriously.

wooosh, clearly you missed all the points, I can't take unicorn seriously either tbh.

 

[Greggy C]

Hey its fine, if people don't want to understand their rights, and they want to give away all their profits, I'm ok with it. good luck.

 

[mamba]

Because my most current project is a Spelljammer supplement with custom ships and setting - I don't think 2e Spelljammer is OGC, thus 5e Spelljammer isn't either. Still the Dungeon Master's Guild is where I'd normally sell it, and they aren't accepting 3PP D&D products until this OGL thing is resolved.

Huh, why is that? DMsG does not use the OGL anyway, they have their own licensing

 

[mamba]

Starfinder is derived from the SRD. Here's the Section 15 of the Core Rulebook (from a PDF I bought a few years ago):

That only means it uses the license, not that it is derived from the SRD

 

[mamba]

Hey its fine, if people don't want to understand their rights, and they want to give away all their profits, I'm ok with it. good luck.

Yeah, maybe they understand them better than you do, because you were pretty much dead wrong in every single post