OGL 1.1 live chat with a lawyer at Roll for Crit.

[Alzrius]

Especially considering that book release is probably 18 months from now.

This bruhaha on EN World pretty much matches the same bruhahas we see when WotC releases a potential rule change in a UA article... a massive number of "How dare they!"s and declarations of dropping D&D... and then in a few week's time there's some other thing that grabs people's attentions and the rule change is forgotten.

So to think this OGL "thing" will still BE a thing in 2024 seems a teensy-bit far-fetched to me. The book designers have a year-and-a-half to just keep their heads down making their books, while the corporate-types figure out their money schemes. And then after the schemes have been resolved, the books can see their release in the summer of '24 and everyone will kumbaya around the 50th Anniversary like we all planned.

I doubt that third-party companies will forget about this anytime soon, and while a lot of them are small outfits, a few of them have not-insignificant reach in terms of making themselves heard by at least a portion of the fan-base.

What I can't figure out is the timing in all of this. If 1D&D, and presumably a 1D&D SRD, isn't coming out for eighteen months, why try and revoke the OGL v1.0a next week? If WotC wants people to sign on to the OGL v1.1, what are they supposed to produce under it between now and mid-2024?

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Lol. People are already claiming "victory."

I think that if you think this is anything other than a done deal, you are going to be very disappointed. Don't overestimate the "power" of a dying vestige of the fanbase to change anything.

Lawyers from various companies are already in a attack mode, WotC folded in the face of a lawsuit by the Dragonlance writers and that was just two people, this is getting slammed by lawsuits from dozens, if not hundreds of companies, and maybe even some big corporations like Amazon (this could kill one of their TV shows). So no way does WotC not back down now, the only question is whose going to be the one who gets thrown under the bus for this and how brutal are the consequences for this going to be.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Lawyers from various companies are already in a attack mode, WotC folded in the face of a lawsuit by the Dragonlance writers and that was just two people, this is getting slammed by lawsuits from dozens, if not hundreds of companies, and maybe even some big corporations like Amazon (this could kill one of their TV shows). So no way does WotC not back down now, the only question is whose going to be the one who gets thrown under the bus for this and how brutal are the consequences for this going to be.

This will not kill an Amazon TV show. The legend of Vox Machina (Which is what I think you are refering to) has been stripped of all direct D&D traces. If WoTC could claim Vox Machina they could claim all the works of Raymond E Feist (and probably a few other fantasy authors).

 

[Reynard]

Lawyers from various companies are already in a attack mode, WotC folded in the face of a lawsuit by the Dragonlance writers and that was just two people, this is getting slammed by lawsuits from dozens, if not hundreds of companies, and maybe even some big corporations like Amazon (this could kill one of their TV shows). So no way does WotC not back down now, the only question is whose going to be the one who gets thrown under the bus for this and how brutal are the consequences for this going to be.

Can you link the filings and the press releases by the companies in attack mode?

 

[Greg Benage]

Can you link the filings and the press releases by the companies in attack mode?

I'm guessing that one letter with typographical errors, no citations of relevant case law, and a demand that amounts to clowning that's been circulated endlessly.

 

[mamba]

What I can't figure out is the timing in all of this. If 1D&D, and presumably a 1D&D SRD, isn't coming out for eighteen months, why try and revoke the OGL v1.0a next week? If WotC wants people to sign on to the OGL v1.1, what are they supposed to produce under it between now and mid-2024?

I assume they want none of this to distract from the ‘celebration’ in 2024, so the sooner this blows over, the better.

As to what to produce with the OGL1.1, if it replaces the 1.0a as intended, they release the current SRD under it and you can keep producing for 5e with it

 

[Alzrius]

As to what to produce with the OGL1.1, if it replaces the 1.0a as intended, they release the current SRD under it and you can keep producing for 5e with it

That was the only thing I could think of, but I'm not sure they would, if for no other reason than you think they'd want everyone in lockstep to produce for 1D&D and not its predecessor game.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Can you link the filings and the press releases by the companies in attack mode?

Ones already linked to in one of these threads, but the truth is I don't need to see them to know their are there or coming, this will destroy 3rd party publishers, threatening WotC will lawsuits is the only path to survival they have.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I'm guessing that one letter with typographical errors, no citations of relevant case law, and a demand that amounts to clowning that's been circulated endlessly.

It's just a warning letter, not an actual legal document, it's early sabre rattling which almost certainly all of the major companies are engaging in, and possibly many smaller players as well, hoping to kill this before legal actions become needed.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

You are correct. Average fans have no idea. At least not yet. Look at D&Ds Facebook page and not a single person mentioned it until I did.

I'll raise you one of my friends owns a comic and gaming store. When I texted the group chat with him just a few minutes ago none of them knew about this he and 1 other knew about the earlier comment BY WotC and that was it... he was open and busy yesterday and is getting ready to open today. Not a peep from any gamer.