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Legal Discussion of OGL 1.2
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<blockquote data-quote="Matt Thomason" data-source="post: 8908292" data-attributes="member: 6777331"><p>And you know, there's a commonly-used trick to get around the viral nature of Open Source licensing that applies here.</p><p>Hypothetical: I'm writing a VTT, but want to include some functionality from an open-source library that requires anything using it also be open-sourced. I do not wish to open-source my VTT.</p><p></p><p>So:</p><p>1) I release my completely closed VTT without said functionality.</p><p>2) I create a separate program that performs that functionality with the open-source library, and open-source <em>that</em>.</p><p>3) I build interfaces between my VTT and my open-source program allowing the former to communicate with the latter, e.g. via Named Pipes.</p><p></p><p>I see a potential way to achieve that with the 1.2 license's restrictions on VTTs, too.</p><p></p><p>1) Release the bells-and-whistles VTT, but it doesn't have 6e rules. Include a system within the VTT to read a text file of rules. Probably something like XML.</p><p>2) Release, under the OGL, your new static text file of rules and game data. This file does nothing by itself, it isn't "dynamic", it doesn't display graphics, it doesn't do <em>anything</em>. It's just a text file that translates the SRD language from human-readable into machine-readable.</p><p>3) End users combine the perfectly legal 1) with the perfectly legal 2).</p><p></p><p>Obviously, do NOT do this without getting proper legal advice to ensure it <em>is</em> 100% legal first.</p><p>And, disclaimer, I absolutely do not support or intend this to be used in an illegal manner, only to <em>legally comply</em> with WotCs OGL 1.2 and the new VTT policy.</p><p></p><p>Also, this is very similar to the idea of creating a system-neutral sourcebook for your world that requires <em>no</em> license whatsoever, then a 5e supplement with stats+rules under the OGL, a Savage Worlds supplement under their license, and so on.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Matt Thomason, post: 8908292, member: 6777331"] And you know, there's a commonly-used trick to get around the viral nature of Open Source licensing that applies here. Hypothetical: I'm writing a VTT, but want to include some functionality from an open-source library that requires anything using it also be open-sourced. I do not wish to open-source my VTT. So: 1) I release my completely closed VTT without said functionality. 2) I create a separate program that performs that functionality with the open-source library, and open-source [I]that[/I]. 3) I build interfaces between my VTT and my open-source program allowing the former to communicate with the latter, e.g. via Named Pipes. I see a potential way to achieve that with the 1.2 license's restrictions on VTTs, too. 1) Release the bells-and-whistles VTT, but it doesn't have 6e rules. Include a system within the VTT to read a text file of rules. Probably something like XML. 2) Release, under the OGL, your new static text file of rules and game data. This file does nothing by itself, it isn't "dynamic", it doesn't display graphics, it doesn't do [I]anything[/I]. It's just a text file that translates the SRD language from human-readable into machine-readable. 3) End users combine the perfectly legal 1) with the perfectly legal 2). Obviously, do NOT do this without getting proper legal advice to ensure it [I]is[/I] 100% legal first. And, disclaimer, I absolutely do not support or intend this to be used in an illegal manner, only to [I]legally comply[/I] with WotCs OGL 1.2 and the new VTT policy. Also, this is very similar to the idea of creating a system-neutral sourcebook for your world that requires [I]no[/I] license whatsoever, then a 5e supplement with stats+rules under the OGL, a Savage Worlds supplement under their license, and so on. [/QUOTE]
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