No 4E Fan Content Allowed on the Intenet?

[Morrus]

Fans can (a) use the assets in the Fan Site Kit and (b) post material so long as it follows the GSL guidelines for creating new material (no redefining races/classes, no using certain races/classes, can create new alchemical formulas, new vehicles, etc.).

You're missing a fundamental point. The bit where you say "follows GSL guidelines" (ignoring the "guidelines" phraseology - it's a license; there aren't any "guidelines" just instructions) specifically and directly does NOT cover web content.

The phrase "web content which folows the GSL" has no meaning. It's like saying "short and tall" or "fat and thin". Web content cannot folow the GSL, because the GSL very specifically does not apply to web content.

 

[Ourph]

You're missing a fundamental point. The bit where you say "follows GSL guidelines" (ignoring the "guidelines" phraseology - it's a license; there aren't any "guidelines" just instructions) specifically and directly does NOT cover web content.

The phrase "web content which folows the GSL" has no meaning. It's like saying "short and tall" or "fat and thin". Web content cannot folow the GSL, because the GSL very specifically does not apply to web content.

The statement doesn't say "web content licensed under the GSL", which would be a contradiction in terms. It is possible to have web content that would comply with the GSL if it were published in some form other than a web page, which is what the WotC statement clearly means. Also note that the statement doesn't say fans making fanpages need to sign the GSL, just that they should use the GSL/SRD as guidelines for what is acceptable to publish on a fan website.

 

[tomBitonti]

You're missing a fundamental point. The bit where you say "follows GSL guidelines" (ignoring the "guidelines" phraseology - it's a license; there aren't any "guidelines" just instructions) specifically and directly does NOT cover web content.

The phrase "web content which folows the GSL" has no meaning. It's like saying "short and tall" or "fat and thin". Web content cannot folow the GSL, because the GSL very specifically does not apply to web content.

This gets very tangled, but here is how I am reading that:

Let's say you create a fictional baseball team, with fictional players, player's names, and player's backstories.

Let's say there is a license for use of the fictional team in fan created works, and that license (hereinafter called the general license) contains three elements:

1. This license ("the general license") applies to all derivative works, except for web sites.
2. You may create derivative works so long as you do not alter the team makeup or backstories, and so long as your story is predominantly a story about a single baseball team.
3. If you use this license, you agree not to tell any stories about baseball teams, except as allowed by this license. If you do, you must cease all production and distribution of your licensed stories, and you have 90 days to destroy all retained copies of your stories which are subject to this license.

Let's say there is a fan kit that has photos of the players and a team logo, provided as media assets.

Let's say that the fan kit is provided with this specific fan-site license:

1. You may use the media assets from the fan kit on your web page so long as the team name and logo are shown predominantly on the main page, and so long as you make no alterations to the media assets except to scale the images upwards or downwards by up to 50%.
2. To continue use of the fan kit, you must subject all material which you provide through the fan side to term (2) of the general license.
3. You agree also that any modifications to term (2) of the general license shall be considered to be made to the fan site license as well.

I don't have a way to explain it better, but I'm thinking that the fan site policy embeds the terms of the general license. That seems to, in effect, create a wholly separate license which is free from the restriction in term (1) of the general license, while retaining specific elements of that license.

 

[Xyxox]

And one thing that seems to be missed frequently is that there's good reason for a lack of definition.

People on the Internet are creative, always coming up with new uses, functions, and ability to work with data. If WotC gives a clear, well-defined message, there's significant chance that someone will think of something that wasn't covered, or fits in some crevice that nobody realized was there.

WotC is in the position of having to either be vague, or be specific and risk having to change the specific policy later. Changing policy generates lots and lots of complaints. Being vague generates a bit of grumbling, and probably works as a disincentive to those who are apt to try to be too clever for their own (or WotC's) good.

I can certainly understand why WotC doesn't define the line.

All it means is each fan with a fan site has to decide how much work they are willing to put into the site when they weigh it against the risk of being sent a C&D.

 

[pawsplay]

I can't complain about their position on this one. It would be nice if they had a well-defined, versatile and intelligent policy. Failing that, a little common sense is better than a thrown together policy that lacks common sense. If they haven't started flinging darts to see what will stick, that's a good sign.

 

[Umbran]

Fans can (a) use the assets in the Fan Site Kit and (b) post material so long as it follows the GSL guidelines for creating new material (no redefining races/classes, no using certain races/classes, can create new alchemical formulas, new vehicles, etc.).

But you are reading into it. Let us repeat. They said:

1)fans are allowed to use the assets provided in the Fan Site Kit

2)fans are allowed to create their own RPG material pursuant to the GSL.

Note that "create their own material" and "post their own material on the web" are by no means the same thing.

I think we have good reason to believe that WotC doesn't give a fetid dingo's kidney about most fan sites, and that they're only apt to act against ones that are egregious, or very liberal with WotC content. However, that belief is not based in their statement, or the logic you presented. It is just a reasonable interpretation of business needs and behavior in the recent past.

 

[El Mahdi]

...a fetid dingo's kidney ...

Do you serve that with red wine or white wine?

 

[Umbran]

Do you serve that with red wine or white wine?

Probably a good fighting wine like Melbourne Old-and-Yellow, which is particularly heavy and should be used only for hand-to-hand combat.

 

[jeffh]

I love how I make a point (39), no-one responds, then a day or two later someone else makes the exact same point and it becomes the whole topic of the discussion...

 

[PaulofCthulhu]

My sympathies to people who want to run D&D 4e web sites.

It sounds like a confusing mess, and no fun at all.