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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Flynn" data-source="post: 412108" data-attributes="member: 1836">Another OGL QuestionI have a question regarding the Open Gaming License (OGL). As it deals with copyright and the OGL, I realize that some may feel that this is a touchy subject. If so, I apologize, but I only ask for the sake of curiosity, not in any sense of ill will.As we all know, there's a lot of non-Open Game Content (OGC) to be found in the various WOTC sourcebooks, and people are frequently getting into trouble over using this content without Wizards' permission. I know, from reading several heated discussions on this and other lists, that WOTC cannot copyright game mechanics. I also have read that if a sufficient amount of the text is changed, the basic idea or concept behind a game mechanic can still be communicated without violating the copyright that Wizards has on the material. It would appear logical (doesn't mean it actually works this way, though) that a publisher could put together a quick PDF to post on their website that gives the basic feats, spells, classes, monsters, prestige classes, magic items, or what-have-you, from any on these non-OGC sourcebooks, with sufficient changes to avoid violating copyright while still preserving the mechanics, and then declare their content to be OGC, so that the sourcebook materials become available to all other publishers, using the OGC names and text, of course. For example, the feat Spellcasting Prodigy becomes the OGC feat Innate Spellcaster, with appropriate text that supports the same basic functionality, game mechanically.While it would seem logical, it obviously doesn't work this way, or someone would have done so already. After all, having your company's name in section 15 of everyone else's OGL would have to be good advertising, at least on some level.So here's the question: I know it doesn't work, but why? Is it legal? Or is it simply the spirit of cooperation that exists between D20 publishers and WOTC?Just curious,Flynn</blockquote>

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