This Bugs Me...

[Pigeon]

I'm currently making a D20 modern website for my players. As non of them particularly want to buy the books I'm planning on basically replicating chunks out of the d20 modern SRD on the website (i.e. the classes and feats so as they can make character advancement decisions without fighting over the books).

I've been tempted to put additional feats up there - specifically from the modern players compainion. As far as I can make out its all open content (or whatever the phrase is). However I feel this may be a bit immoral really. i know when I put some open content stuff from spycraft on one of my websites I got a very nice letter from it's publishers asking me nicely to either take it down or put it behind a password protected section so only my players could see (I took it down, I felt a bit guilty actually and they were very nice)

Anyhow what is the feeling? Should I only put the SDR stuff up there, should I not put anything up their at all?

 

[geezerjoe]

... I have done a little research on copyright ...

That got me thinking of Google and I found this intresting link that should help or even end this discussion.http://www.efuse.com/Plan/copyright3.html and http://www.efuse.com/Plan/copyright.html is an extension of that page.

Both have good stuff and is the gist of what I remember about copyrights. I will have to send this to my professor as well

Check out "fair use". While a compliation of prestige classes posted on a forum does violate a couple factors in determination of "fair use" the author of those pages suggests that the profit factor is often the most important. Is the artist hurt from this usage and is profit being made off the work by the individual using the work? I think that PKitty's account falls further into "fair use" than the original poster's account of infringment. Obviously from the original account, permission was only given to post links and there is now the potential to threaten the artist's ability to make profit.

But PLEASE read those articles for yourself. They are very good, very simple, and cleared up / reminded me of a lot of things.

l8r)

Joe2Old

 

[Estlor]

i know when I put some open content stuff from spycraft on one of my websites I got a very nice letter from it's publishers asking me nicely to either take it down or put it behind a password protected section so only my players could see (I took it down, I felt a bit guilty actually and they were very nice)

Technically, as long as you included a copy of the OGL with the proper references in it somewhere on your website and had links to it, they have no legal right to complain. Once they open the content, they make it free for use in any other OGL medium - including websites. I can understand why they would rather you not make it openly available to everyone (probably afraid of loss of sales), but if they wanted to restrict it they should never have made it open.

As far as your d20 modern website goes, put anything you want up there from any open source, just make sure you completely follow the proceedures of the OGL to give proper credit where necessary. If a publisher complains, be civil with them, but inform them that you are only acting within your OGL rights and see if there is some compromise you can come up with that doesn't inconvenience you too much but shows some concern for the publisher's point of view.

But in the end, you'd be in the legal right, not them.

 

[Marius Delphus]

One of my teachers insists that material placed on the web without any sort of copy right notice becomes public domain.

I'm almost certain you must affirmatively declare you are releasing your work into the public domain for this to happen, and that the default is your work is protected by copyright the moment it's created. But do read up on the topic, IANAL, etc....

 

[Storm Raven]

One of my teachers insists that material placed on the web without any sort of copy right notice becomes public domain. I don't know if this is true or not as it flies in the face of what I learned about copy rights many pre-web-years ago, but if that is true then it make the situation reasonable (but only if it is a low volume, not for profit site to be shared with people that the user knows primarly).

You teacher is speaking about things that he has no knowledge of. Notice requirements for copyright was abolished long ago. As soon as you have fixed an original work of authorship in perceivable form, you own the copyright on it, and cannot lose it unless you consciously intend to do so.

 

[WizarDru]

He credited the authors, and he's asking for permission after the fact, but he didn't provide a link back (at least not from that same page.)

Well, like most things legal, it would (IMHO) go to intent. A personal website that he uses for his campaign and his players would be reasonable, to me, as long as credit was given where due.

Grabbing it for a website like BOBSD&D3EEMPORIUM.COM, regardless of how he represents it, would be unethical, at least, possibly much worse.

 

[Arnwyn]

Well, here's an interesting question for you. I just noticed someone who has nabbed a bunch of House Rules stuff and posted it on his (low volume) web site without asking the authors. Is this reprehensible, tacky, or reasonable?

Low volume (not for profit) website, with material taken from some posts on an internet messageboard? Reasonable, IMO. (But I've always been of the opinion that if you want control, be careful of how you disseminate information.) Tacky if no credit is given.

Legally speaking? Beats me.