PETITION: Keep the term 'Adventure Path' Open Source!

[SteveC]

Like I said, your mileage may vary. I am certainly not trying to impose my view on you. Simply stating mine. And, as should be apparent to anyone, I am a HUGE Paizo fan. I love Mona and Jacobs and Lisa Stevens and the whole crew. Heck, I am working with them. I give them huge props for the way they have popularized the adventure path concept.

Clark

I completely agree here, the whole thing makes me scratch my head and go "huh?" I love the stuff that Paizo does (running Pathfinder #2 for Halloween as a matter of fact) but this is seriously boneheaded. With 4E arriving I can see how one would like to work to make sure that there was not an immediate release of OGL junk like last time, and also work to establish a clear brand for your products, but that doesn't mean you can trademark a common phrase that has been used in context by many companies and in many products.

Still, Paizo Adventure Path, that has a ring to it, and I like it quite a bit!

--Steve

 

[Plane Sailing]

If the petition doesn't work I suggest trying lawyers and maybe getting injunctions or legal stuff or something. If that doesn't work and Paizo are still having problems then I can lend you guys a baseball bat if it would help?

moderator/
Don't make or imply physical threats of violence to people please, it can be quite unsettling for them. Smileys don't make it any more reasonable. Some bits of humour that work fine when chatting with someone in a room don't travel well across the internet.

Thanks

 

[psionotic]

Besides the fact that 'Adventure Path' was clearly used (and for the same thing) before Paizo existed, my other concern with them trademarking the term is that its both generic, and already ubiquitous.

Yes, other companies can use other phrases, but then, will they begin to trademark these phrases too? How long then before a company has to refer to their series of linked modules in terms like:

"The Moonless Monastery: Part 1 of our 'really long chain of modules designed to take you from 1 to 30' series..! (tm)."

I love Paizo, and I love their products. But they didn't coin this term, and its so generic as to be already in wide common use (at least in this industry). Please don't get all litigious and try to enforce ownership of it.

 

[Scholar & Brutalman]

I thought there were meant to be 1st ed grognards here?

"A D&D Campaign for levels 1-30" is all that's needed!

"Adventure Path." Pfui!

 

[WayneLigon]

I see some people throwing around 'if' they trademark the term; it seems to me they already have done so. From the bottom of every Paizo page:

Paizo Publishing, LLC, the Paizo golem logo and Undefeated are registered trademarks of, and GameMastery, Pathfinder, Adventure Path, Titanic Games, the Titanic logo, Anthology Board Game, Planet Stories, and the planet logo are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC. [Emphasis obviously mine].

 

[Glyfair]

In a discussion of this I had this past evening a thought came up. What would be the reaction if WotC had decided to trademark the term Adventure Path?

 

[Heckler]

I thought there were meant to be 1st ed grognards here?

"A D&D Campaign for levels 1-30" is all that's needed!

"Adventure Path." Pfui!

They're called "modules," dammit!

 

[tenkar]

In a discussion of this I had this past evening a thought came up. What would be the reaction if WotC had decided to trademark the term Adventure Path?

I would guess about the same if not worse. People actually "LIKE" Paizo

 

[ShinHakkaider]

In a discussion of this I had this past evening a thought came up. What would be the reaction if WotC had decided to trademark the term Adventure Path?

I was wondering how long it would take for someone else to bring this up as this was pretty
much my first thought as to WHY Paizo was trademarking it.

 

[Shroomy]

My thought after reading this thread is how many average gamers are aware that there was a difference between WoTC and Paizo, or that Paizo even published the magazines.