In case you didn't know: The WotC community is FREE

[Zaukrie]

Maybe if WotC made the community easy to use. Try finding a specific blog from a specific developer. Click on staff blogs, more, or whatever it is called. It 100% does NOT take you to a page linking to staff blogs. I don't get how any of this is that hard....

 

[Shemeska]

I don't do much more than lurk over there anymore. A lot of the long term posters who had really cool ideas to share have vanished, a lot of forums are pretty much dead as far as traffic goes (FR for instance is glacially slow), and that's outside of the fact that at times some of the more extreme fanboys over there have taken the Insider tag to apparently segregate them from the the not-really-true-D&D-fans.

 

[Dire Bare]

Under the current ToS/EULA for the community site that (WotC owning all you post) is not the case. You still own it, you just give WotC the right to use it when and how they want.

Of course, the idea that WotC developers are going to waste their time sifting through the ideas on the forums looking for the one idea to steal as opposed to coming up with their own is, to me, solidly in the realm of Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanies.

Ah, but that's what the internets is for!!! All sorts of tinfoil hats!!!

To claim that WotC's current policy is a hidden "cost" is more than a mite ridiculous! Are people really worried about WotC hovering over their boards just waiting to steal their brilliant ideas!?!?!

 

[Kafen]

Ah, but that's what the internets is for!!! All sorts of tinfoil hats!!!

To claim that WotC's current policy is a hidden "cost" is more than a mite ridiculous! Are people really worried about WotC hovering over their boards just waiting to steal their brilliant ideas!?!?!

Tin Foil hats aside, I wonder what both Palladium and Kenzer Co, ala the Knights of the Dinner Table would say about it. Sure, lots of the fluff posts are paranoia, but the legit cases are present.

 

[AllisterH]

I don't do much more than lurk over there anymore. A lot of the long term posters who had really cool ideas to share have vanished, a lot of forums are pretty much dead as far as traffic goes (FR for instance is glacially slow), and that's outside of the fact that at times some of the more extreme fanboys over there have taken the Insider tag to apparently segregate them from the the not-really-true-D&D-fans.

Um, how would yoy know about this given that you yourself said that you don't hang out there anymore (Really, I've never even SEEN a thread where Insiders mock non-Insiders as not being D&D fans).

As for the specific sub-forums, that's more due to the fact that the Realms and Eberron only have 3 releases. How much can you talk about the same product?

 

[ProfessorCirno]

While there are a few tinfoil hats, I think most people who don't have an account do it because the forums are so banal and horrible. It's not a conspiracy, they're just bad.

 

[carmachu]

I know why they have to do things the way they do it just isn't the most friendly and relaxed forum for the average gamer to exchange ideas compared to non-corporate affiliated sites. Since there are many places without attached strings to gather and share ideas it doesn't matter if one particular site has more restrictive policies. Gamers can vote with thier bookmarks.

That. There's no way your average gamer who creates stuff for himself and his friends cant risk putting his ideas on WOTC's forum and having it come bite him back in the rear, using his ideas and finding out he doesnt actually own them anymore.

I know more than a few folks like that that dont want to risk what they consider theirs. Even if Wotc never uses them, they dont want to take the chance.

 

[AllisterH]

That. There's no way your average gamer who creates stuff for himself and his friends cant risk putting his ideas on WOTC's forum and having it come bite him back in the rear, using his ideas and finding out he doesnt actually own them anymore.

I know more than a few folks like that that dont want to risk what they consider theirs. Even if Wotc never uses them, they dont want to take the chance.

So, is there a solution?

How does WOTC protect itself from people claiming "you stole our idea" without the clause?

Someone earlier attributed this to creative companies and I think that's true. Both DC and Marvel have a no-FANFICTION policy on their boards for that same reason...

 

[Moon_Goddess]

Come on, WOTC cannot risk not having that clause, check around you'll find that most websites have it. Facebook, Myspace, Blogger.

Think of it this way, the act of writing this post here grants me a copyright to the post. However Morrus is now transmiting my copyrighted work to you, even though no court in the land would even sumbit to hear it, technically I could sue him for copyright infringement.

Those clauses are just there to protect the website, ignore it.

 

[mudbunny]

That. There's no way your average gamer who creates stuff for himself and his friends cant risk putting his ideas on WOTC's forum and having it come bite him back in the rear, using his ideas and finding out he doesnt actually own them anymore.

I know more than a few folks like that that dont want to risk what they consider theirs. Even if Wotc never uses them, they dont want to take the chance.

1 - The poster still owns their work.
2 - The only time that they would have to worry is if they are planning on trying to get it published in the first place. And, as I said above, if you are trying to get it published, what the heck are you doing posting in on the internet in the first place??