First up, the text you quoted is from me. Just wanted to note that - don't want some other guy getting the blame for my mistakes.
God, I hope this is not true as I really want WotC to do some reprints of some of the classic stuff, and I maintain perhaps futile hope of a return to the sale of PDFs.
Honestly, so do I. I would very much like a copy of the "Rules Cyclopedia" and, especially, that compilation of classic modules I mentioned.
Still, assuming that your speculation is correct, it seems like WotC was selling or allowing the sale of PDFs for a long time before they stopped it, around 10 years I believe, all of it well after the Dragon Magazine CD and the fallout. It would be odd that it took them so long to spot the potential danger.
That is the big flaw in my logic, and certainly gives major cause to doubt it. Still, stranger things have happened.
Finally, if this was the reason PDFs of classic products were pulled, it doesn't explain why current product PDFs were also pulled at the same time.
Safer to pull everything and cite "piracy concerns" than to pull only the old stuff and note "IP rights issues" - the latter would seem to be hanging out a "please sue us" sign.
If there are potential issues of rights ownership, wouldn't it most likely be with artwork, which could be left out of (or substititued) the reprints? (It could even be taken out of PDF versions).
I agree on all counts. Unfortunately, without the original contracts, WotC couldn't assume ownership of
anything. I believe anything by Gygax and Arneson should be safe (since that always went with TSR), but beyond that it may get tricky. And it would appear that exact reprints (possibly with new cover art) are always safe. But this is definitely getting into stuff I don't know about.
Certainly, if they own the text but not the artwork, they should be able to do new versions with different artwork. The only problem there is cost - each time you have to make any change, that cost goes up.
Again, though - I agree with you, and hope my supposition is dead wrong.
But attached there is a poll asking you what your favourite books and rule elements are...
I could perfectly see some "best of" products coming...
I would very much like to see an "Encyclopedia Version" of 3.5e. Despite owning so many books, I'd almost certainly buy that. Or, at the very least, a compilation of all the monsters - they could perhaps call it the "Monstrous Compendium"?
