GSL FAQ up

[Doc_Klueless]

Oi. Ok, Lizard. I stand corrected (honestly). I misunderstood what was going on.

 

[Wormwood]

This seems very reasonable. Everyone got upset for nothing.

I'm shocked. Shocked.

 

[Lizard]

I'm gonna go off on a tangent here, but the dude was/is a wank.

Yes, she liked his website. She still does. She thought it was very well thought out, put together and helpful.

She doesn't like someone trying to make money off of stuff she created without her permission. And that is what it all boils down to.

He's a wank.

Publishing analysis/guides to fiction is standard practice. Ask Cliff Notes. It is also protected by copyright law.

Here's a good analysis of it: http://greensboro.rhinotimes.com/Articles-i-2008-04-24-177772.112113_JK_Rowling_Lexicon_and_Oz.html

It's worth noting that, prior to HP7, the bookstores were full of third party tomes analyzing and discussing the books, and none of them garnered lawsuits.

 

[Piratecat]

No Harry Potter hijacks, please. That's an interesting topic in and of itself, but I'd rather not have the thread shoot off on a tangent.

 

[Lizard]

No Harry Potter hijacks, please. That's an interesting topic in and of itself, but I'd rather not have the thread shoot off on a tangent.

Fair enough.

IAE, to clarify, I am not saying WOTC *would* do horrible things, but rather that a part of the purpose of the OGL was to create a "safe harbor" so that they *couldn't* -- no matter what changes in management or policy might occur. In many ways, the OGL was a sort of insurance policy for D&D -- because of it, D&D can never be shut down/closed/eliminated. The core classes, races, spells, monsters, magic items, and so on are now and forever open, and can be reincarnated in other game systems or preserved against all corporate shifts. The GSL, however good it is for publishers, doesn't offer this. 4e can be killed; 3e, and all of its variants, cannot be.

I doubt anyone at WOTC or Hasbro is, right now, plotting to send C&D letters to fansites. I merely note that the GSL leaves open that possibility while the OGL removed it. I *do* wish the FAQ clarified the use of the GSL for both ad-free and ad-supported sites, especially the use of the logo/branding in such places.

 

[Shades of Green]

The core classes, races, spells, monsters, magic items, and so on are now and forever open, and can be reincarnated in other game systems or preserved against all corporate shifts. The GSL, however good it is for publishers, doesn't offer this. 4e can be killed; 3e, and all of its variants, cannot be.

If I understand correctly, once a company has released a product under OGL, the OGL for that content could never be withdrawn even if the company has moved over to GSL. Am I correct?

 

[Lizard]

If I understand correctly, once a company has released a product under OGL, the OGL for that content could never be withdrawn even if the company has moved over to GSL. Am I correct?

Yes.

Once open, always open. If Green Ronin decided to, say, stop producing True 20 core rule books, another company could take the OGC and reuse it, with a different name (because the name is PI). There's a LOT of OGC out there, more than I think a lot of people realize. Some people seem to have the impression the only 'open' content is that posted on the net as SRDs. Tain't so.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Of course, fansites have nothing to do with GSL, OGL, or anything along those lines. They have never been targeted, to my knowledge, by WotC, and if for some reason that changes in the future, it isn't going to be "ThirdWizard's Hall of Trinkets" that gets the cease & desist letters first, it would be something like ENWorld with its House Rule and Creature Catalogue forums. And, if ENWorld isn't worried, I don't see what reason any of us have to be.

The sky wasn't falling with the GSL. Jumping on another chicken little scenario, especially in this thread, seems like just another far fetched "WotC is going to screw us all for no reason" theory.

 

[Shades of Green]

The sky wasn't falling with the GSL. Jumping on another chicken little scenario, especially in this thread, seems like just another far fetched "WotC is going to screw us all for no reason" theory.

I'm not blaming WotC, in its current form and outlook, for attempting anything against fan-sites and EN-World. But the sad TSR case has shown us that someone having the capability to do so might, in certain (and unlikely) circumstances, harass fans. OGL was a total immunization against such attempts - no matter what happens, you can't close open content. Ever. GSL is a somewhat weaker defense...

 

[lurkinglidda]

I wonder if Paizo will be forced to destroy any back issues they might still have. Were those magazines d20? They most certainly were not OGL. Perhaps something entirely different?

Dragon and Dungeon were official licensed products, not OGL.