D&D (2024) 2024 is out...and yet.....where are the threads?

[Umbran]

WotC wanted their cake and to eat it too. They wanted what is essentially free promotion, but also control.

The fact that folks were willing to screen-scrape videos rather proves that anyone who is trying to make a commercial go of creating content, but does not exert control on how it is released, is being dumb.

The compensation model for promotion is irrelevant - free or expensive - if you are trying to sell content, you need to control that content. This is not somehow a character flaw of WotC - it is the world we are living in.

They wanted to weaponize FOMO to drive subs, but "not like that!"

It's too bad people like giving them money so much.

WotC has done (or tried to do) some crummy things.

Adapting when they realize that folks on the internet are willing to screen scrape videos is not one of them.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

I

It's too bad people like giving them money so much.

Yeah. I’ll admit that I like giving money to companies that make things that I like so that they make more of the things I like…

It’s a character flaw.

 

[Corinnguard]

It should be interesting to see what WoTC is going to be saying about this.

 

[Zaukrie]

This may have been in the NDA for those who got the PDF but no such limitations were given to me when I received a review copy. Until today.

Bizarre. How anyone could think this will happen is amazing. And even if it did, what, like two people? Corporations are amazing sometimes.

 

[Umbran]

It should be interesting to see what WoTC is going to be saying about this.

Probably nothing. At least, that's my honest guess.

 

[Mistwell]

It's a little too late for anyone on this side of the fence to start complaining about copyright violations.

It's not?

 

[Mistwell]

So you can show every page of a book to someone, but as soon as someone trains a camera on you, it becomes illegal?

Yes. One is for personal use, and the other is distributing a digital copy to the public.

I know you understand this distinction. I don't get the game you're playing, but it's not a clever one. You know darn well distributing a digital copy of an entire work is a copyright violation. I can't believe you thought distributing a PDF for instance of an entire book on a torrent was identical to showing your buddy the hard copy of that book.

 

[Corinnguard]

It's not?

Well why are you complaining about this particular copyright violation? Everyone who has participated in the 2024 D&D playtests knows or has a good idea of what's in the new 2024 PHB. And quite a number of us have discussed about the contents of the 2024 PHB on these very forums for months now thanks to those very same playtests.

WoTC took a gamble with these Content Creators on YouTube and other social media websites. They had them sign an NDA not to reveal the contents until August 1st. Which they followed because they knew what they were getting into thanks to previous experience with other sponsors.

As for the Content Creators, they may or may not like D&D and/or WoTC, but they knew that there were people out there who loved D&D and were eager to see the final product. But they aren't stupid to go out violate a copyright. That's bad for business.

 

[Clint_L]

Yes. One is for personal use, and the other is distributing a digital copy to the public.

I know you understand this distinction. I don't get the game you're playing, but it's not a clever one. You know darn well distributing a digital copy of an entire work is a copyright violation. I can't believe you thought distributing a PDF for instance of an entire book on a torrent was identical to showing your buddy the hard copy of that book.

Yes - it’s called copyright for a reason. As in, the right to make and sell copies.

 

[Mistwell]

Well why are you complaining about this particular copyright violation?

I am not? I pointed out why it was pulled. It's not acceptable on YouTube according to their TOS. They routinely pull videos for copyright violation. WOTC gave the order before those content creators risked demonetization for doing it.

I truly don't get the supposed innocence of "But why oh why?!" from people who fully comprehend copying an entire book, song, picture, or other work of creative art and posting it digitally online for money. You guys know full well why.