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Is going d20 really worth it?
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<blockquote data-quote="Henry" data-source="post: 414841" data-attributes="member: 158"><p>Sir Edgar:</p><p></p><p>Simply put, the d20 system trademark license is an insurance against suing. If you follow the contents of the license to the letter, WotC agrees not to take you to court.</p><p></p><p>While it is true that game rules may not be copyrighted, it would still be possible for Hasbro's lawyers to take a publisher to court, after said publisher refused to cease and desist in their publication. While the publisher could in theory win such a case, most small publishers do not have the fiscal means to fight a protracted court battle. No case pertaining to this law with respect to an RPG has ever been brought to court.</p><p></p><p>In order to use the material in the SRD, and NOT be prosecuted, you would have to not use any of their trademarks, such as the Dungeons & Dragons name, nor the "d20" name or logo.</p><p></p><p>With the d20 STL, you can say that your product is compatible with D&D, and that your product requires use of the D&D Player's Handbook. In other words, for willingly giving up the right to publish a complete game, you get both a protection against suing, and access to the large market of D&D players. <em>if you follow the license.</em></p><p></p><p>Note that I am not a lawyer, or course, and that all of the above has been gleaned from numerous conversations with various d20 publishers and copyright lawyers who frequent these message boards.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Henry, post: 414841, member: 158"] Sir Edgar: Simply put, the d20 system trademark license is an insurance against suing. If you follow the contents of the license to the letter, WotC agrees not to take you to court. While it is true that game rules may not be copyrighted, it would still be possible for Hasbro's lawyers to take a publisher to court, after said publisher refused to cease and desist in their publication. While the publisher could in theory win such a case, most small publishers do not have the fiscal means to fight a protracted court battle. No case pertaining to this law with respect to an RPG has ever been brought to court. In order to use the material in the SRD, and NOT be prosecuted, you would have to not use any of their trademarks, such as the Dungeons & Dragons name, nor the "d20" name or logo. With the d20 STL, you can say that your product is compatible with D&D, and that your product requires use of the D&D Player's Handbook. In other words, for willingly giving up the right to publish a complete game, you get both a protection against suing, and access to the large market of D&D players. [i]if you follow the license.[/i] Note that I am not a lawyer, or course, and that all of the above has been gleaned from numerous conversations with various d20 publishers and copyright lawyers who frequent these message boards. [/QUOTE]
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Is going d20 really worth it?
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