Does this bug anyone else?

[danbala]

Re: Re: How does open gaming lisence fit into this?

Now, _if_ someone took the OGC material out of said product and then only distributed this material in a manner complying with the OGL, then that would be kosher.

So if you purchased the PDF (or scanned from a book you bought) you can then distribute the OGL material combined with all the other OGL material you wish to include, right?

Is there a problem creating a unauthorized derivative copyright by combining OGL material from various sources? Or is this authorization implied (or express) from the license?

Also, could these Kazaa kids just assuage whatever residual guilt they have left about piracy by creating and sharing edited PDFs of the crunchy parts of the d20 materials only (feat lists and spell lists, etc)? It seems to me that those parts are is the parts that everyone is after anyway.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

IMO, if you bring this up, you'll get the above mentioned roll of the eyes at the least, or at worst, a verbal scorning. If it bothers, you that much, by all means, speak up. If it continues, and it will, leave the group. Bottom line: if it bothers you so that you do not enjoy playing with those guys, find a new group. If it doesn't, suck it up and play.

That said, I have lots of downloaded copies of rpg material. The only one that I don't own a printed copy of is Tome and Blood, because it's a piece of crap. I use these to print out material for game use and then chunk it when I'm done. It's a very handy resource that way.

Also, if someone is not gonna buy the book to begin with, and they download a copy, they haven't hurt the company any. Distributing it, is a different matter.

I would bet money, though, that there are a lot of people here who have a copy of Microsoft Windows on more than one computer.

 

[danbala]

Re: Re: How does open gaming lisence fit into this?

I produce PDFs (see my sig). And even though they say "The text in this document is 100% OGC," you still cannot just copy my PDF legally. There is Product Identity (protected material defined in the OGL) and logos in my PDF that you do not have the rights to copy.

How would you go about legally stripping it to OGC stuff only?

Just copy the text of the feat and spell descriptions, for example?

 

[Buttercup]

I would bet money, though, that there are a lot of people here who have a copy of Microsoft Windows on more than one computer.

And as it happens, I paid for both of them, since each computer came with Windows already loaded. No hyocrisy here.

 

[AGGEMAM]

And as it happens, I paid for both of them, since each computer came with Windows already loaded. No hyocrisy here.

That is no guarentee that the Windows installation was actually paid for and not pirated by the computer dealership. Many lawsuits in Denmark has revolved around this issue.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I'm in favor or pirating, but only if the DM's do their research to accurately depict 16th century bucanneering in the campaign. A book like BROADSIDES! would be an invaluable resource to such a DM...

But seriously...

I'm in the process of writing a pdf product right now.

I get paid based on how much I sell.

If you were to pirate my book, I'd basically consider you a bit of a fricktard.

I mean, I'm not exactly a big business. I'm a college student. I live on loans. I make below the poverty line for income each year. By pirating my book, you're not innocently injuring some multimillion dollar company -- you're hurting me, a guy you could be gaming with. Your making it that much tougher for me to make a living.

Most d20 publishers aren't a whole lot better off. These jobs aren't lucrative -- they're labors of love, by fans of the game. Even WotC, the biggest of the big, is made up of people who love the game, for the most part.

Every time you pirate a book, that's less money going to people like you. That's one less meal that people like me can afford. That's less time that the people who make your game fun can spend continuing to do that -- because they have to devote time to other pursuits. They have to make money to live on, so they can't make d20 products, the very same things that you use.

It's not as if d20 publishers are engaging in iffy market practices, or can take the damage.

If you game with people who do that, the best way to go about things is to refuse to use anything pirated. Decline, say "No, I'll buy it later, if I want to use it." Don't use it, and buy a copy if you would.

Also, please give me the names and addresses of these guys...I have a large Italian man who'll make 'em an offer they cannot refuse. ("Hey, Tony! You were sayin' you missed the breaking legs and cement sneakers business!")

 

[buzz]

That is no guarentee that the Windows installation was actually paid for and not pirated by the computer dealership. Many lawsuits in Denmark has revolved around this issue.

This is pretty much irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

 

[Buttercup]

This is pretty much irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

Actually, since we are talking about pirating, I think it is relevant.

Anyway AGGEMAM, I don't know how that stuff works in Europe. But in the US, if you buy from a reliable PC manufacturer, such as Dell, Gateway and a few others, you can be sure that all the software that ships with the computer is legit. Heck, they even send you the disks, along with all the serial numbers & stuff.

 

[AGGEMAM]

This is pretty much irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

Possibly. I was making a comment to another posters post.

I have and do continueously download D&D material for my own personal use.

If I like it I buy, if I do not I delete it.

In many cases I can actually get it faster over the net than it appears in the store here.

 

[AGGEMAM]

(All of this, of course, ignores the fact that, seeing as you have a computer, you can d/l a copy of the SRD for free and play D&D all you want.)

You cannot use the SRD to play D&D with, it lacks essential parts like the whole experience point system.