Frankly, I feel that "Open World" is the wrong term for what you are describing
because it implies the setting content is released under an "open gaming" license when
it clearly is not.
If I understand correctly, you want to run a group project where everyone following
the group's rules & procedures can submit ideas that may eventually make it into the
canonical material of the project (part of the "official" world setting materials).
Anyone can use the material (for free?) but no one can modify and republish material
related to the setting. All published modifications to the setting must be approved
through the group project.
Said another way, it is a copyrighted work created by a group of people who then
publish it to the market for no charge but retain ownership.
I could see how you publish such a group project using the OGL and D20STL by marking
all your original content as "closed" or "product identity" and then mark specific
things like the stat block for NPC's or some new rule as "open content." The majority
of the publication is "closed" and some small bits are "open." Not really an "open
world" in my opinion, but certainly a creative and allowed usage of the OGL and the
D20STL.
In this scenario, no one publishing under the OGL could claim their work is
"compatible with" or make any other reference to your trademarks or use your
copyrighted material without permission. Outside the OGL, I understand from the
mailing list that there is very little to prevent people from making a claim that
their material is "compatible with" the group project's setting.
I think the suggestion of having a trademark license for the setting is not a bad idea
if the group project wants to allow "approved" parties to commercially publish
adventures, add-ons, etc. that use the project's trademarks in their titles,
advertising, etc.
Weldon Dodd
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org
