Cortex Fan License Published

The fan license which allows you to create free material for Cortex Prime was announced by Fandom yesterday.

Fandom acquired the Cortex Prime system recently, and is also the owner of D&D Beyond.

The announcement was greeted with negative feedback about its restrictions by the community. The Community License grants ownership of any mechanics created under the license (but not 'lore' such as names, art, fiction, etc.) Additionally, Fandom can terminate the license at any time. The usage of the Cortex Prime mechanics is limited in that fans cannot "decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer the Cortex System, or any component thereof, by any means whatsoever."

In the comments under the announcement, Fandom confirmed that fan creations could not be distributed via DriveThruRPG or Itch.io because those platforms "grants them rights to specific parts of the content, including content that the community license does not grant you the rights to." I'm not familiar with Itch's terms, but DTRPG doesn't acquire any rights to content distributed on the platform.

Fandom does confirm in the comments that people can create their own versions of the Cortex mechanics without using the license; but by doing so you can't call it Cortex or use the resources Fandom provides. Mechanics in themselves cannot be copyrighted, but the expression (the text used) to describe them can.

Those wishing to sell their work will be able to use the Cortex Creator Studio, which will become available at a later date. The commercial license requires an application.

 

[Morrus]

So, Cortex, a generic RPG system, owns a licensee's lore, art, fiction under this agreement? Am I reading that part correctly?

No. The opposite.

 

[darjr]

This can’t be a coincidence

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I like the Cortex Prime system a lot and have a Mass Effect RPG half-written-up for it (and lightly playtested), which I might share on the internet one day (it's not ready yet), but this license seems pretty incompetent. It's not even like, intentionally grasping or something, it's just not at all the right license for the product.

 

[timbannock]

This can’t be a coincidence

It's immaterial, though. Fandom wants to keep Cortex close, and is providing an alternative way for folks to publish for it (the as-yet-unreleased Creator Studio), while also letting the non-publishing fans create whatever they want and not make money on it (the fan part of the license: "don't use our branding, please"). Not every game system must follow an "open it up" mentality, and thinking that "only the ones that do are popular" misses an awful lot of games that don't that are popular.

Fandom has different business goals than Mork Borg, and that should be okay. Apparently there are many people who feel it shouldn't be okay, though, which is...perplexing.

 

[darjr]

Yes. I’m remembering it’s Fandom that did this. Fandom == DnDBeyond. Oy.

 

[Aldarc]

I like the Cortex Prime system a lot and have a Mass Effect RPG half-written-up for it (and lightly playtested), which I might share on the internet one day (it's not ready yet), but this license seems pretty incompetent. It's not even like, intentionally grasping or something, it's just not at all the right license for the product.

I have a few Cortex Prime projects on the back burner that I intermittenly work on. I'll probably hold back on them until the dust settles a bit regarding this creative license.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I could go into detail how this is dumb on several levels.

Instead, I will just repost the top reply in that Twitter thread. It really is thorough and encapsulates everything wrong with this license.

Mod Note:

Just like triggering the profanity filter, attempts to evade triggering it by using screenshots or videos that contain profanity is just as forbidden.

 

[Umbran]

Oooh. OK. Still not a great license, but not as horrific as I was thinking.

Okay.

Though, like... folks expect a really good licence for free? Good license terms are valuable - people generally pay for them, rather than get them handed over on a platter for nothing.

 

[Umbran]

This can’t be a coincidence

Well, it isn't like Mork Borg came up with a brand new license in one day as a response to this. Lawyers need longer than that to craft and review language. That license must've already existed, and the only thing that isn't coincidence is them choosing to tweet about it. Which... of course, yeah, they'd use the opportunity to make themselves look good.

 

[Morrus]

Well, it isn't like Mork Borg came up with a brand new license in one day as a response to this. Lawyers need longer than that to craft and review language. That license must've already existed, and the only thing that isn't coincidence is them choosing to tweet about it. Which... of course, yeah, they'd use the opportunity to make themselves look good.

In other news the WOIN, Awfully Cheerful Engine! And Level Up licenses are awesome!