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4e D&D GSL Live
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<blockquote data-quote="robertsconley" data-source="post: 4307356" data-attributes="member: 13383"><p>You forget about the derivative works portions of copyright law. Even if you avoid using the trademarks of Conan and Hyborian on your product's cover; the law restricts your ability to combine the elements of the original work into a new product that uses Conan, Hyboria, Turan, Shem, Stygia, etc.</p><p></p><p>The same with D&D computer products. Sure you could make a character generator but you have to change every power name, class name, etc to point that it is not D&D 4th anymore but some form of clone. </p><p></p><p>Now you could argue technicalities but the spirit of the law is that the author(s) of a original work gets to control it's reproduction and any derivative works. Go up against that you will run up into lawsuit territory. </p><p></p><p>The reason the retro-clones work is because the body of terms that make up d20 happens intersect very closely to those of previous editions. By Wizards radically altering the terms of the game that make up D&D 4th they have better control over the permissions they can license. </p><p></p><p>With the power system any clone of D&D 4th will have come up with a complete new set of powers greatly increasing the work of a clone maker. Start throwing in the ritual elements the skill elements the closer the end result looks to be a derivative work.</p><p></p><p>I am sure you get a lawyer to tell you how you could get close but then you going to need invest some $$$ or have connections. Even then there is nothing to stop a lawsuit and the matter resolved in court. The GSL is Wizards telling how we can use their material without being sued automatically.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="robertsconley, post: 4307356, member: 13383"] You forget about the derivative works portions of copyright law. Even if you avoid using the trademarks of Conan and Hyborian on your product's cover; the law restricts your ability to combine the elements of the original work into a new product that uses Conan, Hyboria, Turan, Shem, Stygia, etc. The same with D&D computer products. Sure you could make a character generator but you have to change every power name, class name, etc to point that it is not D&D 4th anymore but some form of clone. Now you could argue technicalities but the spirit of the law is that the author(s) of a original work gets to control it's reproduction and any derivative works. Go up against that you will run up into lawsuit territory. The reason the retro-clones work is because the body of terms that make up d20 happens intersect very closely to those of previous editions. By Wizards radically altering the terms of the game that make up D&D 4th they have better control over the permissions they can license. With the power system any clone of D&D 4th will have come up with a complete new set of powers greatly increasing the work of a clone maker. Start throwing in the ritual elements the skill elements the closer the end result looks to be a derivative work. I am sure you get a lawyer to tell you how you could get close but then you going to need invest some $$$ or have connections. Even then there is nothing to stop a lawsuit and the matter resolved in court. The GSL is Wizards telling how we can use their material without being sued automatically. [/QUOTE]
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