To what degree does the ORC license apply to VTTs?

[Anon Adderlan]

Ultimately the answer is zero, because it doesn't do anything in the first place. It's a Copyright license designed to share mechanics when mechanics are not protected by Copyright. As such there's no way to enforce or violate it. And it doesn't even apply unless you explicitly state it does.

However I suspect VTT producers would rather not rock the boat here, so given that which parts of a VTT would be considered licensed under the ORC as a result of using materials licensed under it? The stat block database? The character creator? The combat automation? Because the license does not differentiate between human and computer implementations, and it's potentially in conflict with more liberal open source licenses like MIT.

 

[JonL]

You very much can copyright specific descriptions and explanations of mechanics though. With a license like ORC, adopters can use those word-for-word rather than re-inventing the wheel. That time and effort savings has value, as evinced by people adopting it.

Where it does speak to computer implementations, the license describes contents of databases where licensed material would reside. It does not speak to application logic or UI source code. If someone ignores separation of concerns in their VTT design to such a degree that it's hard to distinguish those things from licensed content, they should consult with an attorney (and probably a technical architect, because they're doing software badly).

 

[Morrus]

It's a Copyright license designed to share mechanics when mechanics are not protected by Copyright.

This is incorrect. It is a license to share specific expressions--in text, art, or whatever. The underlying mechanics are not what's being shared, it's the specific text used. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of the license (and similar licenses like the OGL).

A VTT does not differ to a book or a web page or song lyrics or any other medium--it can (re)publish specific text and art where it is licensed to do so.

I would advise anybody reading to consult a lawyer before relying on the advice given in the OP.