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.

​

 

[Cadence]

IANAL

Class action though?

Are there any parts of Android (or whatnot) built on open source? Cheaper for Google (or whoever) to buy Hasbro than worth about it? How ugly could them running things...

 

[Nikosandros]

Are there any parts of Android (or whatnot) built on open source? Cheaper for Google (or whoever) to buy Hasbro than worth about it? How ugly good then running things...

AFAIK, Android is an open source system, even though the customized variants that are shipped with specific brands, likely aren't completely.

 

[mamba]

AFAIK, Android is an open source system, even though the customized variants that are shipped with specific brands, likely aren't completely.

It's built on Linux, so the GPL should be somewhere in there

 

[kenada]

Are there any parts of Android (or whatnot) built on open source? Cheaper for Google (or whoever) to buy Hasbro than worth about it? How ugly good then running things...

Android Open Source Project

Android unites the world! Use the open source Android operating system to power your device. COPY

source.android.com

 

[timbannock]

I think it's worth noting that the new OGL is clearly ignoring the original intent of the OGL regardless of whether or not we believe the recent leaks to be true.

From the same Q&A:
Q: Is Open Game Content limited to just "the game mechanic"?
A: No. The definition of Open Game Content also provides for "any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content." You can use the Open Game License for any kind of material you wish to distribute using the terms of the License, including fiction, artwork, maps, computer software, etc.
Wizards, however, rarely releases Open Content that is not just mechanics.

however, from the OGLs, SRDs, & One D&D staff blog post on D&D Beyond back in december:
Other types of content, like videos and video games, are only possible through the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy or a custom agreement with us. To clarify: Outside of printed media and static electronic files, the OGL doesn’t cover it.

If anything's a "smoking gun" regarding intent, I think it's this.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Just out of curiousity, does anyone, anyone at all support WotC doing this or think it's a great idea, because so far it seems 100% against WotC revoking the 5e OGL, like I've never seen folks 100% against a WotC policy before, there is ALWAYS a supporting segment, however small, for anything WotC does until now.

I think this has created an expanded opening for the Activist Investors to gather their forces and strike again. If they try this instead of backing off from this path, drawing all kinds of backlash that will only grow and lawsuits that could go on for years, it's going to be the final opening needed to take down some big folks at Hasbro.

This is hands down the dumbesting thing Hasbro/WotC has done yet, if they don't back down.

There's an old investment saying "Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered", I think WotC is starting to move through Bull, into Bear, and now finally into Pig territory.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I think it's worth noting that the new OGL is clearly ignoring the original intent of the OGL regardless of whether or not we believe the recent leaks to be true.

From the same Q&A:
Q: Is Open Game Content limited to just "the game mechanic"?
A: No. The definition of Open Game Content also provides for "any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content." You can use the Open Game License for any kind of material you wish to distribute using the terms of the License, including fiction, artwork, maps, computer software, etc.
Wizards, however, rarely releases Open Content that is not just mechanics.

however, from the OGLs, SRDs, & One D&D staff blog post on D&D Beyond back in december:
Other types of content, like videos and video games, are only possible through the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy or a custom agreement with us. To clarify: Outside of printed media and static electronic files, the OGL doesn’t cover it.

That's interesting and important because that directly contradicts WotC's whole "the OGL was never intended to cover anything but print/PDF!" deal.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Just out of curiousity, does anyone, anyone at all support WotC doing this or think it's a great idea, because so far it seems 100% against WotC revoking the 5e OGL, like I've never seen folks 100% against a WotC policy before, there is ALWAYS a supporting segment, however small, for anything WotC does until now.

I've seen a few people on other sites, but they've universally been people who don't actually play D&D, or like played it once, and none of them have the foggiest clue what the OGL actually is or does, they just are defending WotC mindlessly because they are under the wild misapprehension it as a "free ride on WotC's dime" before (LOL frankly).

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I think this has created an expanded opening for the Activist Investors to gather their forces and strike again.

They got the previous main thing they wanted, selling off eOne, even though in the meeting where they initially advocated it, it was bluntly refused.

The next thing on their list was selling off either just D&D, or all of WotC "whilst they were still valuable". Or alternatively spinning them off and giving them shares in them.

Hmmmmmmmmmm.

 

[Ondath]

Just out of curiousity, does anyone, anyone at all support WotC doing this or think it's a great idea, because so far it seems 100% against WotC revoking the 5e OGL, like I've never seen folks 100% against a WotC policy before, there is ALWAYS a supporting segment, however small, for anything WotC does until now.

I think this has created an expanded opening for the Activist Investors to gather their forces and strike again. If they try this instead of backing off from this path, drawing all kinds of backlash that will only grow and lawsuits that could go on for years, it's going to be the final opening needed to take down some big folks at Hasbro.

This is hands down the dumbesting thing Hasbro/WotC has done yet, if they don't back down.

A friend of mine thinks it's not too bad, and that WotC deserves some royalties for allowing people to make content with their rules, and that the royalty limit is too high anyway.

He also happens to my podcast co-host so I know I'll fiercely try to convince him the next time we meet.