D&D General Trademarking "THE WORLD’S GREATEST ROLEPLAYING GAME™"

[Morrus]

"Compatible with the world's most litigious roleplaying game"?

Other than NuTSR has WotC ever actually gone legal at anybody over D&D?

 

[Quickleaf]

Other than NuTSR has WotC ever actually gone legal at anybody over D&D?

I was mostly teasing. I think WotC has probably been targeted by legal action (Palladium, Hickman & Weiss) more than they've initiated legal action.

But there was that 2009 WotC-filed lawsuit which I think had to do more with Magic the Gathering side of things? Can't recall the details.

 

[Greg Benage]

Other than NuTSR has WotC ever actually gone legal at anybody over D&D?

By "gone legal," do you mean actually filing a complaint or do C&Ds count?

 

[Morrus]

By "gone legal," do you mean actually filing a complaint or do C&Ds count?

It’s just a conversation. Nothing counts or doesn’t count. If you think you have something interesting to contribute, feel free!

 

[Greg Benage]

It’s just a conversation. Nothing counts or doesn’t count. If you think you have something interesting to contribute, feel free!

Okay, well, they've definitely "gone legal" so far as sending C&Ds is concerned. This one comes with a lot of legal discussion about the copyrightability of game mechanics and the OGL. Pinging @Frylock in case he's still around.

Unless you were talking about legal action pertaining specifically to a trademark claim. Anyway, too late, I feel free now.

 

[Bedrockgames]

https://www.amazon.com/Dragonlance-Shadow-Dungeons-Dragons-Adventure/dp/0786968281

Thanks. That is pretty interesting. People have been using variations of that phrase for ages so I do wonder if that impacts things at all

 

[Bedrockgames]

Other than NuTSR has WotC ever actually gone legal at anybody over D&D?

I haven't heard of another instance of it. I think the reason this and some of the other news has people on edge, is what happened with TSR in the late 90s. One thing wizards did right when they started, was go in a totally opposite direction from that, including doing things like the OGL. So I think this, the OGL 1.1 announcement and the statement about D&D being under-monetized has folks wondering where this will go. Mostly all speculation at this point of course.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Steve Long has an easy lawsuit to win.

 

[Staffan]

Other than NuTSR has WotC ever actually gone legal at anybody over D&D?

I remember them going after Jim Ward for some early d20 stuff when he apparently thought it was a license to use anything in D&D, and included things like Lolth in his stuff. I don' t think anyone begrudges them that though, and as I recall some sternly worded C&Ds sufficed at the time.

 

[Stormonu]

Well, there was that whole affair with "The Book of Erotic Fantasy", though I don't think it went to court so much as got yanked after a fashion.