> kevin kenan
>
> My main point, though, is that you need to be very careful when using the
OGL
> in conjunction with IP that you feel may be valuable. A corollary is that
> the danger of accidental IP leakage represents added risk which will, I
> think, keep professionals with new IP from using the OGL. At the
> very least, it creates a barrier and extra work on the part of the game
designer.
Preaching to the choir. Professionals will have to determine which is more
work- dealing with the OGL and d20 or writing a new game system from
scratch. It's an easy cost/benefit ratio to calculate, so long as the risks
and benefits of each are well known.
> I'm interested in seeing the solutions that other people come up
> with. Using
> an alternative font or style inside the stat block to represent closed
> material might work, but it creates additional complexity that the reader
> must keep in mind. Not necessarily prohibitive complexity, but just enough
> to make me leery.
Complexity to whom? The reader will simply read the text and it will be
true. Only those who wish to duplicate or derive from the material will
need to be wary.
> One last thing: is the rule I'm using as an example generic enough to be
> closed or is it derivative and so should be open? No clear answer is
> available. To be safe, I would make it open, but if you are thinking of
> walking the line between generic and derivative, then definitely
> get advice
> from an IP attorney. Keep in mind, though, that any one rule may
> be generic
> and not threaten your IP, but all of those so-called generic rules taken
> together may betray the character of your IP and allow others to produce
> derivative material.
I'd say it depends on the rule. If your setting has cyborgs as its central
theme, and the rules were all related to cybernetic technology and its
effects on normal human biochemistry, then the rules might be a problem.
They are only going to compromise the portions of your world that directly
relate to the rules - by this I mean that other authors will be able to
duplicate your look and feel without actually being able to say they are
part of your world.
> I could publish source books or
> novels, if I had the talent, that would seamlessly link to
> official Unknown
> Armies material based on the character of the IP that I picked up in the
> open sections of the rules. Essentially I would be stealing their IP. This
> inherent risk in using OGL is what I think will keep S&T and other
> professionals from releasing original games under the license.
This is more relevant to original games than derivative works, but I thing
we pretty much agree here. A distinction needs to be made between
protecting the copyright of a work and protecting an entire game system
and/or theme. The former is useful for OGL works that want to share in a
common genre, setting, or game system. If you intend to lock down a game
system so tightly that others can't even create supplemental materials that
depend on your core works, then the OGL, indeed the entire Open Gaming
concept, isn't for you at all. At that point, you are gaining nothing by
using the OGL, and nobody will gain anything from you from your use of it.
-Brad
-------------
For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org
