I think you've gotten distracted with a plain/usual definition of a "derivative work" in the transformation and/or redistribution sense. The point is that the service attempts to define a state where you are not in possession any of the DDB content, you are merely accessing the content through their service and any copy is an unallowed derived work.
No. I have no idea where that came from as it has nothing to do with what I said.
English Prof here.
On a macro level, yes. It's all important. On a micro level, not so much. I doubt you'll find many people in Somalia who care about roleplaying games.
I don't give a buttered toss about country music but there should be means to preserve it.
I agree. Those Somalis probably don't give a rat's behind if country music vanishes from the planet. On an individual level, it's an individual decision.
WotC's dual roles as a) the rights-holders to the material and b) custodians of the game does, IMO, give them an obligation to archive these things in some form; if for no other reason than in the long run the copyright will expire and they will become public domain.
The sense of loss around those black and white silent films is that nobody thought to preserve and archive them at the time.
(Dungeons & Dragons)
Rulebook featuring "high magic" options, including a host of new spells.
