WotC Talks OGL... Again! Draft Coming Jan 20th With Feedback Survey; v1 De-Auth Still On

Following last week's partial walk-back on the upcoming Open Game Licence terms, WotC has posted another update about the way forward.

The new update begins with another apology and a promise to be more transparent. To that end, WotC proposes to release the draft of the new OGL this week, with a two-week survey feedback period following it.

WotC Walks Back Some OGL Changes, But Not All

Wizards of the Coast has finally made a statement regarding the OGL. The statement says that the leaked version was a draft designed to solicit feedback and that they are walking back some problematic elements, but don't address others--most notably that the current OGL v1.0a is still being...

www.enworld.org

They also list a number of points of clarity --

• Videos, accessories, VTT content, DMs Guild will not be affected by the new license, none of which is related to the OGL
• The royalties and ownership rights clauses are, as previously noted, going away

OGL v1 Still Being 'De-Authorized'
However, OGL v1.0a still looks like it's being de-authorized. As with the previous announcement, that specific term is carefully avoided, and like that announcement it states that previously published OGL v1 content will continue to be valid; however it notably doesn't mention that the OGL v1 can be used for content going forward, which is a de-authorization.

The phrase used is "Nothing will impact any content you have published under OGL 1.0a. That will always be licensed under OGL 1.0a." -- as noted, this does not make any mention of future content. If you can't publish future content under OGL 1.0a, then it has been de-authorized. The architect of the OGL, Ryan Dancey, along with WotC itself at the time, clearly indicated that the license could not be revoked or de-authorized.

While the royalty and ownership clauses were, indeed, important to OGL content creators and publishers such as myself and many others, it is also very important not to let that overshadow the main goal: the OGL v1.0a.

Per Ryan Dancey in response this announcement: "They must not. They can only stop the bleeding by making a clear and simple statement that they cannot and will not deauthorize or revoke v1.0a".

Ryan Dancey -- Hasbro Cannot Deauthorize OGL

I reached out to the architect of the original Open Gaming License, former VP of Wizard of the Coast, Ryan Dancey, and asked his opinion about the current plan by WotC to 'deauthorize' the current OGL in favour of a new one. He responded as follows: Yeah my public opinion is that Hasbro does...

www.enworld.org

Amend At-Will
Also not mentioned is the leaked draft's ability to be amended at-will by WotC. An agreement which can be unilaterally changed in any way by one party is not an agreement, it's a blank cheque. They could simply add the royalties or ownership clauses back in at any time, or add even more onerous clauses.

All-in-all this is mainly just a rephrasing of last week's announcement addressing some of the tonal criticisms widely made about it. However, it will be interesting to see the new draft later this week. I would encourage people to take the feedback survey and clearly indicate that the OGL v1.0a must be left intact.

 

[darjr]

Does this mean all that video they filmed to walk people through the registration software is I. The cutting room floor?

The software too?

I have to admit I kinda wanted to see it.

 

[eyeheartawk]

so you are silencing yourself out of fear that someone on their end might?

By all means, use ‘improper’ channels, but not using the survey seems pretty foolish

For the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house.

 

[Grendel_Khan]

Earlier I posted about not getting why people white-knight for corporations doing dirty deeds.

Here's what I really mean, as it relates to threads like this one:

What do you think you're going to get out of telling everyone to calm down and suck it up? The only reason WotC rolled anything back was because lots of people got very mad. Whatever your instinct might be to do Secret Service dives in front of any corporate executive or policy being criticized, don't you realize that, in this case, anger had a positive impact?

And if you think this is all just pointless blather, and only D&D sales and D&D Beyond subs matter, then, again, why engage here on behalf of your corporate betters?

 

[darjr]

Kyles account is an hour old…

To be fair he could have had a personal one.

 

[Scribe]

What do you think you're going to get out of telling everyone to calm down and suck it up? The only reason WotC rolled anything back was because lots of people got very mad. Whatever your instinct might be to do Secret Service dives in front of any corporate executive or policy being criticized, don't you realize that, in this case, anger had a positive impact?

Quite literally the only things we can do.

Express our disgust.
Cancel our accounts.
Boycott their products.
Encourage others to do the same.

If people want to jump in front of some C-Level folks out of misplaced support, nothing I can do about that.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Much like working for Games Workshop and watching them nuke the Old World killed that brand for me, it looks like WotC has done similarly here when it comes to the D&D brand.

GW are frankly extremely lucky that Creative Assembly and other videogame companies kept the Warhammer Fantasy brand alive whilst GW abandoned it for AoS, which has proven to be successful as a minis line, but has had sadly little cultural impact, relentlessly flopping when it's used much outside of a TT wargame context (the RPG ain't bad, but it isn't anything special, either). Now GW is circling back with their proposed "Old World" line which would bring back WHFB and the Warhammer Fantasy setting, thought they seem to be dithering about it a bit.

 

[Nellisir]

So, if I understand you correctly, you are saying that nothing that WotC or Hasbro does will change your mind?

If they agree to use ORC. Otherwise...why?
For 22+ years they said the OGL was untouchable and we could rely on it. Now they say it's touchable and they're taking it away, because they own it.

• If they drop all this talk and keep using the OGL1, they'll still own the license and someone will try to de-authorize it again in a few years, unless it's firmly and absolutely put down in court, which it won't be.
• If they leave OGL1 alone and publish OGL2, anything published under it can be republished under OGL1. So, nothing is gained.
• If they deauthorize OGL1, then they've gained more control.

The only solution is for WotC to not control the license.

22 years of the OGL (and the internet) have made people a lot more educated about open licenses. And most publishers don't actually need it. The cost to switch away is LOW. The consequences of staying are HIGH. So, they're going to move away from it. It's tainted by association.

WotC has changed their wording and apologized. They are putting out the OGL draft this time for people to see. They have stated they are open for changes and putting out a survey (a way that they can actually get a more organized method of feedback) to receive that feedback. They have said they will take it seriously (analyze it).

Perhaps it is because you feel they have not explained their side of the equation well enough?

They've actually explained it very well.

I feel this is a pretty open process that they have presented and an orderly way to get information. If you refuse to participate in the process, do you expect them to be able to hear your complaints?

I have no problem participating, but they have very little to bargain with any more. They showed their hand too soon.

 

[FallenRX]

No, that's what they said in last week's announcement. Existing content remains OK, but you can't use the license going forward. The license is still de-authorized.

This...Literally makes no sense.
So the license is Deauthorized, but still authorized so old stuff can be made?


What?

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Whatever your instinct might be to do Secret Service dives in front of any corporate executive or policy being criticized, don't you realize that, in this case, anger had a positive impact?

Maybe they played "Get Down Mr President!" one too many times as a kid lol?

Urban Dictionary: Get Down Mr. President!

Basically, the gist of the game was that when you were with a group of friends, at any random time, a member of the group would stick their finger to their ear, as if receiving a message. Eventually, others would notice and copy the movement, and whoever was last upon sticking a finger to the...

www.urbandictionary.com

 

[Mort]

The only food I have faith in pizza. Even then my faith is tested by Dominos and their ilk.

Not for nothing, but Dominos has some REALLY good pizza options if you know what to order! Friend clued us in when she ordered Dominos and it was basically a gourmet pizza!

Plus, when my wife did a semester in London (forever ago) Pizza Hut was the ONLY place she found that had bottomless soda (as in free refills) - some things are VERY important to Americans, and that tends to be at the top!