Third Party Character Creation iOS App Removed

The d20 Fight Club for D&D 5th Edition iOS app has been removed from the Apple App Store by its creator at the request of WotC. The creator reports that he received a Cease & Desist demand (although it's worth noting that some supposed recent C&Ds appear to have turned out to be amicable requests). This follows on from the removal of the D&D Tools website and the more recent online character generator.

The creator reports that "I received a cease and desist order from Wizards of the Coast. All D&D apps will be removed from the App Store as they weren't compliant with WotC's copyrights and trademarks. Hopefully they'll be back in some form someday. Til then, thanks for all the support."

Nobody has actually shared one of these C&Ds yet, and others have indicated that what they actually received was simply a friendly email asking that they respect WotC's trademarks, so it's not entirely clear what is happening. Hopefully somebody will share one soon!

It does look like this particular app contained text and stat blocks copied directly from the D&D books. Below is the DM version of the app (the companion to the character creation app).

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[Sunseeker]

Okay. You guys first.

Or are we not counting pretending to know the thoughts and motivations of multiple departments within a company no one in this thread works at as "assuming"?

I'm not assuming. I'm telling you what is known with the facts currently available.
At one time WOTC intended to release a digital tool. That release has been canceled. No subsequent announcements have been made on the subject. Therefore WOTC's intentions to release a new tool are unknown. Having neither stated that they ARE or ARE NOT going to release something, in a capitalist system default position should always be the easiest path for the producer: do nothing.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm not assuming. I'm telling you what is known with the facts currently available.
At one time WOTC intended to release a digital tool. That release has been canceled. No subsequent announcements have been made on the subject. Therefore WOTC's intentions to release a new tool are unknown. Having neither stated that they ARE or ARE NOT going to release something, in a capitalist system default position should always be the easiest path for the producer: do nothing.

Doesn't follow logically; they had a falling out with a vendor, so they did not release one tool set. They are continuing to exercise their rights to not have their property stolen, which as @pemerron says dies imply a continued interest, not just logically but legally

 

[Iosue]

"Assume nothing" doesn't mean you assume they won't do something, or that they plan not to. It means you recognize you don't have enough information to decide either way.

 

[ren1999]

If it seems like I know the people I am crticizing it is because I am from Seattle.

Now please Wizards, continue to ignore my advice and as you were.

Time for me to stop insulting you to get you to change and put my efforts into improving Pathfinder, not that it is already doing a great job.

 

[Dannager]

I'm not assuming. I'm telling you what is known with the facts currently available.
At one time WOTC intended to release a digital tool. That release has been canceled. No subsequent announcements have been made on the subject. Therefore WOTC's intentions to release a new tool are unknown. Having neither stated that they ARE or ARE NOT going to release something, in a capitalist system default position should always be the easiest path for the producer: do nothing.

Let's not pretend at an advanced understanding of economics, hm? You literally are making an assumption in your last sentence - the easiest path for the producer is to do nothing, therefore you can treat it as though they are doing nothing regardless of what the reality is - otherwise known as "assuming".

Or we can just agree that it's silly for you to be telling us not to assume anything! That works for me, too!

 

[Dannager]

If it seems like I know the people I am crticizing it is because I am from Seattle.

Oh my gosh, you and 3.5 million other people!

I notice that you said "I am from Seattle," not "I actually talk to these people in person," or "I get drinks with them sometimes," or even "I've driven by their offices in Renton a couple times!"

And, again, there is frankly no amount of familiarity you could pretend at that would convince us that the guys working on D&D over at WotC see it as "just a job." There are too many people on this site who have actually interacted with those folks - many at considerable length - for you to get away with that one.

 

[Evenglare]

Just a bit of an update, but this is getting quite a bit of bad press outside of the internet. Local comic shop it was quite the conversation around the tables. I'd wager 20 or so people. Interesting to say the least... many of these people are casual players coming with their friends. I hope wizards fixes something soon. Release a damn official players license or something.

 

[Icon_Charlie]

Just a bit of an update, but this is getting quite a bit of bad press outside of the internet. Local comic shop it was quite the conversation around the tables. I'd wager 20 or so people. Interesting to say the least... many of these people are casual players coming with their friends. I hope wizards fixes something soon. Release a damn official players license or something.

That is exactly what I have comment on previously. It is not whether WotC is right or wrong. It is how their customer base perceives it how they are treating people who have help kept. D&D alive between editions. Especially after 4ED fiasco.

 

[Dannager]

That is exactly what I have comment on previously. It is not whether WotC is right or wrong. It is how their customer base perceives it how they are treating people who have help kept. D&D alive between editions. Especially after 4ED fiasco.

The "customer base" who is aware of the issue in the first place is the set of people who are aware of the internet goings-on surrounding D&D; in other words, exactly the sort of person who is on these forums. Posting on here that the problem is about perception is just a cop-out - it's the sort of thing I expect to see in political punditry. You know WotC is in the right, morally and legally. There's no question of that. If the problem is perception among the people who read about D&D news on the internet, this is the place where we correct that perception.

 

[Dannager]

Just a bit of an update, but this is getting quite a bit of bad press outside of the internet. Local comic shop it was quite the conversation around the tables. I'd wager 20 or so people. Interesting to say the least... many of these people are casual players coming with their friends. I hope wizards fixes something soon. Release a damn official players license or something.

Why was it getting bad press? Were you there? If so, did you set the people giving it bad press straight? If not, why not?