Rogers Cadenhead wrote:
>
> At 11:12 AM 9/28/00 -0400, "Christopher DeLisle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >Taken out of context of the entire policy I can see how that might appear as
> >encouragement. But it you look at the policy as a whole, looking for the
> >intent, it is really saying "follow these guidelines and we'll overlook the
> >fact that you are stealing from us." I think point 4 and point 5 are very
> >poorly worded for the intent of the policy.
>
> There's nothing in that policy to indicate that Wizards believes people
> who follow the policy are stealing from them. I've been following this issue
> since the Morpheus netbooks controversy first arose in 1994, and I have to
> say it's a complete shock to me that a Wizards executive believes online,
> not-for-profit, derivative work is illegal. It's a throwback to the bad old
> days when TSR seemed determined to antagonize its customers.
>
There's a difference between saying "This is illegal" and saying "I
approve of the law". Derivative works, by definition, are violations of
copyright -- online or not, for profit or not. There is no 'not for
profit' exemption in copyright law -- it merely impacts potential
damages.
The OGL seems to be an attempt to create an enforceable legal framework
for the creation of derivative works that rests on something more
secure, legally, than a random corporate whim which can change at any
time.
-------------
For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org
