WotC WotC doesn’t own the trademark for Mind Flayer

[Azzy]

They certainly are. The Willow TV series shows that they have an interest in doing D&D with the numbers filed off.

Given that the Willow TV series isn't getting a second season... maybe not.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I trademarked the symbol ™.

I get that this is a joke, but properly speaking, I'm pretty sure that symbol actually belongs to the government which enforces said rules. (Which makes me wonder what symbols are used in other languages with different script...)

 

[Alzrius]

I know this is a bit off topic and I don't want to spoil anything, but

Mandalorian didn't introduce that device or the name they use for it in the SW world. Another show laid that groundwork.

In terms of Star Wars, the Wookieepedia page for the mind flayer doesn't have references to any other shows.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Given that the Willow TV series isn't getting a second season... maybe not.

Actually, they have backpeddled on that a bit. I suspect they are waiting to see if it can pick up a bit of slipstream from Honour amongst Thieves.

 

[bedir than]

Actually, they have backpeddled on that a bit. I suspect they are waiting to see if it can pick up a bit of slipstream from Honour amongst Thieves.

Oh, link?

 

[Burt Baccara]

They also don't own "Bulette". Tim Kask still technically owns that.

Doubt it. Part of the reason Dave Arneson left was that he would not sign an employee agreement that purportedly included an onerous work-for-hire clause. Kask would have been asked to sign the contract, no?

 

[Burt Baccara]

The latest episode of The Mandalorian introduced an Imperial torture device called a mind flayer. Not a creature but still …

Turns out it was not the first time the Mind Flayer device was mentioned. It was mentioned by Kara Dune in Chapter 8: Redemption.

Then there is the tentacled, brain-bending, Mairan. One named Bor Gullet appeared in the film Rogue One. Another showed up in the comic Doctor Aphra #21.

In the former, we have use of the name for a brain-destroying machine, and in the latter a brain-bending tentacled creature.

This is 100% speculative fan fiction of how I imagine part of this going down:

Kara Dune in Chapter 8: Redemption mentions a "Mind Flayer" on December 27, 2019, it could be the Mairan depiction started it, or a combination.

D&D Franchise Team: Hey, we own that name, you know Stranger Things pays us to use it, you need to work with us to use that. (People keep maintaining Stranger Things licensed it, though there is zero press or statements from either party to back that up, but for this, I'll go with it).

Disney Legal (internally): Checks trademark registry.

Disney Legal to Wotc: "No."

D&D Franchise Team (internally): They are taking our IP! We need to stop this kind of thing.

WotC Licensing Team (internally): Hello no they don't! See, we keep telling you all this OGL stuff is wack. Open Source is so last decade, even in software when it comes to corporations.

I then picture the WotC Licensing Team and Disney Legal doing a dance of WotC saying "well how about this contract or license," and Disney replying "nope," every time.

All of this stocked part of the OGL debacle, making Kyle Brink's mention of the fear of large corporations stealing D&D IP factual, though still weird to connect to the OGL.

I also see the Star Wars creative getting wind of all of this at some corporate confab and going, "oh, that bothers them, they do know this is Star Wars, we love D&D and there is nothing more Star Wars than making call outs like this, so...let's do it again!"

One more time, this is just what I imagine in my head.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Doubt it. Part of the reason Dave Arneson left was that he would not sign an employee agreement that purportedly included an onerous work-for-hire clause. Kask would have been asked to sign the contract, no?

The Bulette was one of the first monsters to appear in the strategic review/Dragon. For several years, TSR only got one time publishing rights. Nothing was kept track of very well and it is impossible to know for sure who owns what rights. It’s the reason WotC came under a lot of fire when they released the digital cd rom package of the first 250 issues of dragon, and why the haven’t done anything like that since. A lot of that content belongs to the creators, not WotC.

For the Bulette, Tim says he technically still owns the rights to. For that reason. He’s just never called TSR/WotC on it.

 

[Burt Baccara]

The Bulette was one of the first monsters to appear in the strategic review/Dragon. For several years, TSR only got one time publishing rights

That was for rules design, not employees. They switched to work for hire for work from employees right quick. Tim has mentioned he does not have rights to it in his videos.

 

[Sacrosanct]

That was for rules design, not employees. They switched to work for hire for work from employees right quick. Tim has mentioned he does not have rights to it in his videos.

I talked to him not a couple months ago, and he does have the rights. He thinks he won’t win in court because he hasn’t pressed it over the years. I think he’s mistaken on that because I don’t think failure to press copyright in the past automatically means he loses it. But as of a couple months ago, he said he still holds the rights.

My conversation with Ray Winnger pretty much backed it up (not Tim’s specific case, but in general)