From: "Infinite Possibilities" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Hello,
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> > > If you made a habit of publishing OGC monsters in
> > > every Guild Companion magazine and I republished all of them as a
stand-
> > > alone for-profit supplement with none of my own content, I don't
think
> > > you would be experiencing pleasant thoughts.
> >
> > But that would be your right under the OGL as it stands. And if you made
> > money, that would be your money.
>
> And that doesn't seem wrong to you? I don't think I will ever be a good
> business man. I just don't have what it takes to (I'm trying t be polite
here
> for Martin, so I apologize if this comes out weird.) take someone else's
work
> like that and just repackage it. I understand that is what the OGL allows
you
> to do, but I don't think i could sleep at night. Using it in a project is
one
> thing, but just repackaging it like that?
>
> You aren't exactly endorsing doing it, just saying it is possible under
the
> OGL, so I'll ask.
>
> Does that sit right with your ethics to do that?
Speaking as a publisher...it's a little tough to swallow, but it's part of
the package that we're signing onto if we do D20/OGL material. We know what
we're getting into, and presumably if we're still getting into it we've
decided that cost is worth the benefits that our OGL efforts will bring.
Partly I'm not worried because, since *anyone* can do such a standalone
supplement, someone who does it successfully must be adding value to make
their OGL compilation better than, say, downloading the same stuff free off
a net archive. For example, they may have superior art and production
values; they may have invested in promotion and marketing to get it broadly
distributed. And if publishing is really an effortless addition to the toil
of all the OGC contributors, then you're dealing in a commodity, and with
rival publishers putting out essentially the same book there will be price
competition which will limit how much exactly they can get rich leeching off
others' efforts
------------------------------------------------------
John Nephew voice (651) 638-0077 fax (651) 638-0084
President, Atlas Games www.atlas-games.com
-------------
For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org
