D&D 5E So, 5e OGL

[prosfilaes]

Frog God/Necromancer are lawyered up. They even have a judge (Clark Peterson) as a close ally and advisor. They're using the OGL to access certain vocabulary, they aren't using any trademarked terms or mimicking trade dress, and they know exactly what they're doing and how to do it. WotC isn't going to "come down on" Frog God.

TSR vs. Mayfair (1984) ended up with Mayfair having a perpetual, royalty-free license to use the AD&D trademark with the Role-aids line. It's pretty clear that TSR knew they didn't have a leg to stand on when they made that agreement, but I'm pretty sure the details weren't all public at the time, and the simple fact they sued Mayfair probably scared off a lot of people. (I wouldn't be surprised if the details only became public knowledge when TSR sued Mayfair in 1991 over a breach of contract, and intimidated Mayfair into selling the Role-aids line to TSR.)

IBM has awesome lawyers, yet SCO has kept SCO vs. IBM going for more then a decade. Can Hasbro lawyers convince Frog God that they are better making a sealed settlement that doesn't cost Frog God much instead of fighting for another few years (and fighting TSR is one of the things that killed GDW)? I don't doubt it. And that would enough to keep me from trying to release 5E supplements, and I suspect most companies would follow suit, instead of inviting a lawsuit.

 

[Mistwell]

So there is news! From the front page:

"t is our intention to bring back the OGL. We just don't know when we are going to do it yet." - WotC's Chris Perkins, Gamehole Con, today

 

[Gilwen]

right now it's all intention and vague. They intended to have a digital tool too and the plug was pulled. Based of Mike M's comments I don't expect anything until 2015 but at least they are publicly mentioning it.

 

[Henrix]

I still think it'll be an OGL, not The OGL.

Anyhow it does sound promising, what little we know about it. The closer to The OGL it is, the better, I think.

 

[Nellisir]

So there is news! From the front page:
"It is our intention to bring back the OGL. We just don't know when we are going to do it yet." - WotC's Chris Perkins, Gamehole Con, today

Best news I've had all day. I would love nothing more than to be wrong about my predictions.

 

[Gilwen]

[MENTION=70]Nellisir[/MENTION] - you and me both!

@Hendrix - I share those same thoughts.

 

[I'm A Banana]

It's easy to be cynical, but Chris Perkins could have used a lot of weasel-words he didn't use there. It's still only intentional, but it sounds like the big variable is WHEN, not IF. Which is really quite amazing!

 

[Jester David]

At this point I still want details.
They could tell us soooo much more: if it will cover 3rd Party Products or just free products, if it will cover established campaign settings, how much IP it will cover, or just if it will be closer to the OGL than the GSL. They could tell us a LOT more without actually revealing the license, and still leaving themselves some wiggle room.

They've given the excuse that they don't want people creating stuff until the DMG is out and people have a feel for the rules. But I don't imagine that's stopping anyone (it isn't stopping me). I'm personally inclined to believe the reason they're not saying anything is because the lawyers haven't decided and they're still negotiating. So we'll see what they finally sign off on.

 

[Celtavian]

I hope they make it happen. I love competition and a diverse array of products.

 

[Umbran]

At this point I still want details.

Of course you do. In the news today: Fans want more details, and water is wet!

They could tell us a LOT more without actually revealing the license, and still leaving themselves some wiggle room.

Maybe, or maybe not. It may be they just decided their desire yesterday. Those details may not exist.

And that they can do a thing does not say they *should* do that thing. Satisfaction of consumer curiosity is by no means the only relevant thing here.