> And when my 'understanding' differs from yours, what do we do? Go to
> court, where, since we aren't using tersm with legally explicit meaning,
> we argue endlessly.
Okay, is it just me, or does it seem that litigation is the second most
commonly used term on this list? OGL, then litigation, then d20, then the
rest of the Queen's English. (My apologies to the Brits on the list for
calling what I'm writing the Queen's English.) Has the RPG industry become
so completely and totally saturated by the will to sue the crap out of
anyone that tries to make a buck? We're all here quaking in our boots
waiting for the axe to fall, or are lording over the other companies of the
world, waiting to swing the axe? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Open
Sourcing supposed to be about eliminating the need for endless legal
wrangling? Information Is Free (or is that Fee?) and all that jazz? And if
that isn't what the OGL is about, WotC's intentions aside, then I guess I
may as well sign off this list, because I want no part of it.
> There's a reason technical language evolved -- it's unambiguous, at
> least as far as the courts are concerned (well, up to a point).
Yes, so that a select crowd of individuals, i.e. lawyers, could make their
living interpreting the law for the likes of you and me. Thank you, oh
great Lawyers of the World, for charging me the equivalent of 1/4 of a press
run to de-Babelize the complex intricacies of a 1-page document. What crap.
I can write a technical manual (and do!) for software that analyzes the IR
spectra of chemical samples so that a kid with a high-school diploma can run
the machine and the software with maybe 8 hours of training. But when it
comes to the OGL, let's make sure it's as obscure as possible, because hey!
I might be able to one day use the OGL to knock the crap out of some
would-be competitors who try and eke a living out the RPG market using my
system. Hooray!
Horsehockey, son. Just like a tech manual for a piece of hardware or
software - a tech manual for the OGL can be written.
> Here's a "Plain English" license:
>
[snip]
And thank you for mocking and marginalizing my concerns.
Bravo.
Kuma
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