While I don't subscribe to quite as rose-colored a view as Gorgoroth's statement about owning our imaginations or key trademarks, I also am very aware that the same people who gave us the OGL and a revitalized D&D are NOT the same people who run WotC today, and those few who are still there, have very different requirements on their jobs than Peter Adkison, Ryan Dancey, Lisa Stevens, etc. did back in 1997 - 2001.
It's funny, because something Lisa Stevens said in a Paizocon seminar (recorded on Podcast) resonated with me, when I occasionally still hear people talk about how the OGL damaged D&D: When explaining her company's business strategy, she said (paraphrasing)
"Make no mistake, it's Ryan's business model we're following." Besides Paizo's success being definitely due to Lisa's and Vic's savvy, it's also been a bit of vindication for Ryan Dancey's vision for the OGL, as well.
I'm not talking about Paizo's use of the OGL, I'm referring to their constant and continuing contribution to it, and the reinforcement of their own sales of core product and adventure paths it seems to keep bringing.
