Krensky
First Post
Which is copyright infringement. It is neither theft or piracy.
Theft requires tangible property.
Piracy requires a boat or ship and violence or the threat of violence.
Another Cease and Desist Letter: 4E Powercards
- Thread starter Admiral Caine
- Start date
Which is copyright infringement. It is neither theft or piracy.
Theft requires tangible property.
Piracy requires a boat or ship and violence or the threat of violence.
mxyzplk
Explorer
This doesn't give me a lot of hope that the fansite guidelines will be useful.
Copyright and trademark law means that realistically, many fansites can't help but technically be in violation somehow. The GSL specifically excludes web sites as a possible licensed product. Unless the fansite guidelines (as other company's fansite guidelines do, see White Wolf's or similar) do specify what IP you can use as a fansite, what possible value add do they convey?
I can't dismiss that more D20 means less non-D20 in the market and prior to the OGL I was running/playing exclusively non-D&D systems. Non-D20 games definitely took a hit for a few years. However, I suspect that OGL or D20 supplements might have been the gateway product for some companies that also produced non-D20 products either at the time or later on. You've also got low-cost PDFs for niche products and gamers on a budget that may not have existed without the OGL. The amount of useful material I have now is orders of magnitude greater than what I had pre-OGL.
But most of all I wanted to thank you for the compliment!
wedgeski
Adventurer
Please. Listen to the guys on the podcast talk passionately about the game, how pleased they are to be working on it, and how proud they are of what they've produced, and tell me there's no integrity there.
Mournblade94
Hero
Its a good thing enworld has a contract then, otherwise there is numerous IP that can be shut down. If I post my character on a site.. I am violatinig IP. It is possible WOTC could shut that site now.
I think this support of WOTC on these moves are a wee bit too trusting.
A players handbook costs around 30$ and I believe not every player buys one for himself. If what D&D players needed to play was some collection or deck of power cards that could cost only 5$ to buy, it is very likely these decks sold 6 times more than PHs do now. At the same time Wotc would probably benefit much more from cutting production expenses. So we could perhaps see in the future some booster packs regarding races, equipment, powers and staff like that. The only downside to this is that games of this sort tend to have a limited life cycle. It relies on the shiny factor and the shiny factor is not a time resistant one. But you are definately right that 4e's design is one towards this direction.
Oh comeon, you are going with how pleased they are in a podcast? Have you ever watched actors at movie previews? People will endorse the worst load of crap in the world if they can make money of it. They will even do it with a smile.
Mournblade94
Hero
I do not for ONE MINUTE believe the designers have no integrity. They however are beholden to people that are not ultimately involved in GAMING. To THEM it is a brand name only, and the designers have to work within those parameters.
it is not designers causing the websites to shut down, it is the law offices.
These are not good hands for D&D.
Wait until Hasbro decides it is just easier to make money off of D&D brand name video games. Probably WOn't happen... but it could.
I am not against WOTC as I still buy their Star Wars products, but I will not support $e and I have convinced most of my gaming circle not to support it.
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
Fair enough. I disagree, and that's okay, too.
If you're trying to protect your copyright, as you're obligated to do, you look for low-hanging fruit; gross violations are what you target. A site that uses the D&D trade dress and has almost 2000 copy-n-pasted powers? Heck, yes. A fan posting his character? Absolutely not.
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