Ryan Dancey -- Hasbro Cannot Deauthorize OGL

I reached out to the architect of the original Open Gaming License, former VP of Wizard of the Coast, Ryan Dancey, and asked his opinion about the current plan by WotC to 'deauthorize' the current OGL in favour of a new one.

He responded as follows:

Yeah my public opinion is that Hasbro does not have the power to deauthorize a version of the OGL. If that had been a power that we wanted to reserve for Hasbro, we would have enumerated it in the license. I am on record numerous places in email and blogs and interviews saying that the license could never be revoked.

Ryan also maintains the Open Gaming Foundation.

As has been noted previously, even WotC in its own OGL FAQ did not believe at the time that the licence could be revoked.

7. Can't Wizards of the Coast change the License in a way that I wouldn't like?

Yes, it could. However, the License already defines what will happen to content that has been previously distributed using an earlier version, in Section 9. As a result, even if Wizards made a change you disagreed with, you could continue to use an earlier, acceptable version at your option. In other words, there's no reason for Wizards to ever make a change that the community of people using the Open Gaming License would object to, because the community would just ignore the change anyway.

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[Tazawa]

I hope you're right. Ignoring the 1.1 and continuing on with 1.0a would be best case scenario at this point, if it's legally feasible.

I think their likely back-up plan would be to minimize exposure to OGL 1.0a and move to either not producing additional open game content or producing open game content under a different license.

 

[Dreamscape]

I think their likely back-up plan would be to minimize exposure to OGL 1.0a and move to either not producing additional open game content or producing open game content under a different license.

No matter the outcome of this I think from this point on everyone will be looking at how much they really need that OGL in their products...

 

[Simplicity]

A group of seven Hasbro lawyers appear. They are neither tarrying nor running. One is a drummer. They each carry a briefcase of no particular color. They are expressionless as they don't make any statements. They don't authorize former OGC, they don't unauthorize former OGC. They are too haphazard to be Ivy League. They don't joke as they move toward Paizo or some other content creator.

 

[mamba]

I think their likely back-up plan would be to minimize exposure to OGL 1.0a and move to either not producing additional open game content or producing open game content under a different license.

I am perfectly fine with that, let 1.0a do its thing and WotC can do whatever

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

The thing about the idea of Paizo cutting a licencing deal with WotC, it puts them back under the sword of Damocles that fell on them in 2007.

 

[rknop]

I am also under the impression that Paizo has a pretty good relationship with the variety of 3pp that write stuff for Pathfinder and Starfinder. Them making a devil's bargain (or should I say a Cheliax bargain?) with WotC to allow them to continue while screwing over all their partner 3pp would make me very sad.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Hey look - this account still works!


<waves to all>

Welcome back!

You're our hero and thanks for everything you've done to create a massive, cooperative gaming industry!

If WotC its becoming a new evil empire that is trying to corrupt what you built, I'll keep a virtual torch and pitchfork at the ready. All you have to do is call.

 

[Tazawa]

I am also under the impression that Paizo has a pretty good relationship with the variety of 3pp that write stuff for Pathfinder and Starfinder. Them making a devil's bargain (or should I say a Cheliax bargain?) with WotC to allow them to continue while screwing over all their partner 3pp would make me very sad.

Yes. Paizo also understands network effects.

 

[Yaarel]

As far as I can tell,

WotC is comfortable about the OGL liberating Table Top RPGs.

The problem is, WotC wants to get draconian about digital media, including video games, smartphone digital tools, and they stared with envy at a D&D theme Non-Fungible Token.

This corporate salivating is wrongminded.



The thing is, WotC came up with the DMsGuild. This is a successful innovation that proves a win-win for everyone involved.

It seems like, the same legally generous and symbiotic approach in play for DMsGuild can also work for in the future for digital media. There is a way to do this right that both empowers the gaming community and derives reasonable corporate profit.

 

[bedir than]

There is one possible way this might be false: If it looks like OGL v1.0a being unilaterally revoked would lead to implications for open source software licenses, then WotC might find themselves opposed by a large number of tech groups.

IANAL

Class action though?