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Message: <blockquote data-quote="2WS-Steve" data-source="post: 3981929" data-attributes="member: 3289">I don't think that's the way it works.  3.5 was derivative of 3, but it wasn't open until they added the 3.5 material to the SRD.Likewise, 4e won't be open until it's material is declared open under some open gaming license.  Someone might be able to argue that they can independently derive 4e compatible stuff from the 3.x SRD, but that might be a hard legal line to push if there are some real differences.My guess is that the open license for 4e won't be called a new version of OGL 1.0a (or whatever it's labelled).  It will be a legally different license with some similar wording/concepts -- and thus the old section 9 won't apply to it.Technically, WOTC isn't deriving from open content.  It's deriving from its own internal rules or copyrighted books using normal copyright laws.Likewise, you can publish stuff derived from your original contributions (not SRD based)  in the Heroes of High Favor or Grim Tales books under any license or no license whatsoever, just like I could write and publish a fantastically unsuccessful Second World novel without using the OGL as long as I didn't use D&D rules or some of the more peculiar D&D-isms, such as spell names and so on.Again, the main problem I think this causes is that, let's say I want to republish a 4e compatible Second World Sourcebook using the new open license, but I'd like to also include Green Ronin's version of the Serpent People like I do in the current version, I wouldn't be able to unless Green Ronin gave me special permission or released a new version of the serpent folk under the new license.In GR's case that's probably not a big deal since they're around, but a number of good publishers have wandered off to other things and might not want to hassle.And, perhaps a Serpent Folk update would require few enough changes that I could be confident that no-one will hassle me for making it 4e compatible under the old OGL -- but if those changes start getting more elaborate and specific, maybe adding Warlock class levels (which are only open under the new license I assume), that's going to get pretty dicey.</blockquote>

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