> Kal Lin
>
> A derivative work applies when deriving from any OGL'd material,
> not just John's modules. The OGL prevents you from using any PI,
> not just the PI from the material you derive from. For example,
> if you derive from the SRD, you may not use the Ravenloft, Forgotten
> Realms, Smith & Wesson, John's plot or my Swamp environment *wink*
> even though the SRD does not contain any of that PI.
Up til this point we have talked about Open Game Content as a 'body of
work', giving us the impression that Open Game Content and thus PI are
nebulous clouds of intellectual property. They are not. They are specific
pieces of copyrighted material licensed separately from their respective
authors through an instance of the OGL. They do not aggregate, they do not
combine, and they do not apply globally.
When you derive from multiple OGC sources, you are only making derivative
works of those specific sources. This is a one-way tree, and the law does
not follow the branches of that tree to other works that derive from the
same works that you did. Therefore, if you derive from the d20 SRD and use
the plot "rescue the princess" as part of your PI, it has no bearing on my
d20-derived work unless I also name your work in my COPYRIGHT NOTICE.
That's why the copyright notice exists - to establish a chain of derivation
and to ensure that you properly acknowledge the copyright owners of the OGC
work you are using.
-Brad
-------------
For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org
