Wizards Legalese OGL?

[2d6]

The best thing too do is read the OGL list archives, this horse has been beaten, killed, resurrected, beaten, buried, dug up and dragged around since the OGL first came out.

Your dealing with a few issues basically.

1. WoTC/Hasbro liceanses the DnD/d20 system brand/marks for use in electronic products. I think this probably accounts for the inappropriateness of the OGL for software use.

2. You end up making sacrafices in trying to meet or skirt the terms of the OGL that will probably have a negative impact on the project from a design or use (or both) standpoint.

3. You run into potential problems with redistributing code that falls under other liceanses as part of your app, code that may be added at compilation, or during design or whatever.

4. With a database you potentially run into 3, and of course if you use a database, the open content still has to be easily readable, so you run into questions about a person needing access or mySQL or whatever to view the data.

I'm not a lawyer, but it strikes me that you would be better off talking to Wizards and trying to get an actual liceanse.

 

[Ranger REG]

Regarding point #4. The data code does not have to be human-readable. Only what is displayed on the screen or printed paper does OGC have to be human-readable.

Still, the data code must be designated OGC for use by other programmers.

 

[Planesdragon]

Pcl

Heck. No wonder know one knows what I'm talking about.

Google's Cache still has the current page as of this posting.

You can also join our yahoogroup - FGA-Prometheus

I'll post the logo below, and go dig up the license. The short form: if you're "compatable" with our Reference Document (which is getting cleaned up, but will bear a striking resemblance to the SRD), you can use our logo, and we won't say a bloody thing about it.

(edit: The logo's already been uploaded. You can view it in this thread.)

 

[smetzger]

Would WOTC legal send threatening letters and bend me over if I used rules similar to OGL, but all number variables were increased by 10 to show differentiation? IE: Fighters HP = D100, Battle Axe = D80 damage. Unfortunately, I don't think that would be enough to count as a 'wholly non-derivative art.'

Well, you certainly don't need to use the OGL for a fanatasy based computer game. For example Warcraft doesn't use the OGL and is not beholding to WOTC. But Warcraft doesn't derive directly from D&D. You will want to use the OGL if you want to derive things directly from D&D.

But, really, I am confused why it must be exactly the files using the OGC and no other derivative solution, including an exact non-compiled copy of the OGC files, pointing out the specific OGC in a manual chapter (you know when you do this and that happens? OGC baby), or any other similar version of the above. It seems as if the OGC license was specifically meant to be this obfuscating, unless it was a poor poor translation of print OGC usage to electronic OGC usage. Would there be ways around the loophole? Is there a grand poobah who can bless certain products with not having to suffer from exact translation of the rules? Will OGC be revised in a future update to be more accomdating? Does the OGC ever get revised, or is it now just an untamable beast in the wild?

I am having trouble following you here. You can certainly change stuff that is OGC. I don't know where you got the idea that you couldn't change things. The license is pretty simple. Just read it with a critical eye a couple of times.

 

[Ranger REG]

Better yet, get a lawyer.

 

[2d6]

Regarding point #4. The data code does not have to be human-readable. Only what is displayed on the screen or printed paper does OGC have to be human-readable.

I think that is how it should be, but there are people who disagee with that interpretation.

Better yet, get a lawyer.

That really is the best thing to do.

BTW, is it just me or do the OGL list archives not available anymore?

 

[DaveStebbins]

BTW, is it just me or do the OGL list archives not available anymore?

The archives have been down for both lists (ogf-l and ogf-d20-l) for months and months, perhaps more than a year. Ryan recently said fixing that problem is on his list of to-dos, but apparently it is not very high on the list. Since he runs it himself, we're sort of at his mercy; when he finds time to fix it, the archives will come back up.

 

[DMFTodd]

Does anyone know if you can put the open content in a database instead? If so, but you used a commercial database, would that violate the OGL?

Can you do it? Sure. It's being done without complaint right now.

Is it legal? Who knows, hasn't been tested yet in court. There are some people who will say it is not legal, others who think it is.

Welcome to the OGL.

 

[DMFTodd]

that OGC must be able to be used by other people.

Blah! No. That's the spirit of OGC, that other people can use your content, it's not a requirement. The OGL says that the material has to be 'clearly indicated'. That's it.

The data code does not have to be human-readable. Only what is displayed on the screen or printed paper does OGC have to be human-readable.

Again, bah humbug! OGL has to be 'clearly indicated' according to the license. That's it. All this extraneous you-have-to-do-this-or-this is just somebody's opinion and is confusing to the discussion.

Better yet, get a lawyer.

Why? I seriously doubt there's a random lawyer who could come up with an opinion more valid then what we do with a good discussion. Not to mention that there is no money to be made in D&D software as is. Adding in the costs of a lawyer would mean that no projects would be done.

 

[reanjr]

Basically what WingOver said. No matter how you translate the designated OGC, from simple reading text to binary code, that OGC must be able to be used by other people. In this case, another computer programmer. You can modify any way you want them, as long as they remain OGC and can be accessed by other computer programmers like yourself.

The challenge for most developers is how to do that while keeping the rest of the source code propietary and closed, unless you -- the author of the source code -- are willing to share that as well.

That's easy, you simply write a library of OGL functions. Make that library open for anyone to use freely. If ABSOLUTELY necessary, you could release the library as open source, I suppose. But either way, the main game code stays proprietary. It's really very simple.