At 04:01 PM 9/8/00 GMT, "Faustus von Goethe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>This is not a valid point. Under US copyright law, ANYTHING you write
>yourself is protected. It does not matter if it is in a fan-based
>publication or not.
Both TSR and WOTC have taken an expansive view of their rights in
regard to derivative work at times, claiming that they could be
considered the owner of this work under copyright law. While many
people think this would never hold up in court, and I'm in that group,
it detracts from the online policy because there's nothing in it
assuring people of their ownership rights. The OGL/D20 plan represents
the first effort by D&D's publisher to explicitly allow people to
publish derivative work and have clear legal claim on their work.
Personally, I think that's a huge advantage for the OGL/D20 plan.
>THAT is a very valid point, but is invalid as it relates to the point I am
>making (fan-based + free distribution) UNLESS you hypothesize a FAN that is
>so enamored that he wants to PAY to have his stuff printed out and given
>away. I'm not saying this will not happen, but I am going to insist on
>approaching the idea with a great deal of skepticism.
The Internet isn't the only medium in which amateur work is
published -- there are also fanzines, APAs, and other small-press
efforts produced with no intention of making any money.
>Uhhh. Do you know something I don't know? Considering the number of fan
>sites, I would say that the interest in FAN MATERIAL is (literally hundreds
>of times) greater than the interest in open source material.
The articles in Salon and Slashdot, and the existence of this active
list, are all the proof you need of high interest in open source gaming.
>Not valid. No, They arent. The OGF is a completely separate organization
>from WotC. Don't you read the OGF web page?
As you acknowledge, the back cover of the Player's Handbook has a D20
System trademark on it, and it appears in other places as well. The
participation of WOTC is the reason that D20 has been covered in
Slashdot, Salon and other places. How can you possibly make the claim that
WOTC is not supporting D20 in any way? That's ludicrous.
Rogers Cadenhead
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web: http://www.prefect.com
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