TO THE LIST: Did I get all this right?
>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>I was wondering if you happened to have the Online Use Policy websiet or a
>copy of it?
It USED to be at:
http://www.wizards.com/contactinfo/TSR_Online_Policy.asp
but disappeared quite some time ago. Now, you can find the BASICS at:
http://www.wizards.com/contactinfo/main.asp?x=legal
The gist of it (and WotC execs say this is "Unofficial, but very real") is
that WotC will "look the other way" as long as:
a) You are obviously a "FAN" site.
b) You do not reproduce and give away large sections of their IP
c) You do not offer ANYTHING for sale.
d) You do not ABUSE their trademarks.
e) Anything else they find offensive, abusive, or just plain dumb.
SEPARATELY; They have also stated very publicly that posting 3E
conversion of 2E and 1E products verbatim is OK, under the same
rules above (except b.).
Note that they have been very clear to emphasize that this is an INTERNAL
policy (not an external license) and can change at any time. This is one
reason why WIZARDS no longer has it on their web site - because in print it
looked a lot like a license to steal.
The consensus is (and Ryan agrees) that changing this policy would cost
Wizards' so much good will that it will almost certainly never change. They
(unlike TSR) view their fan base as an asset.
Faust
>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: RE: [Open_Gaming] Forgotten Realms fan sites under OGL
>Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2001 09:30:06 -0600
>
>I was wondering if you happened to have the Online Use Policy websiet or a
>copy of it?
>
>Thanks
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Faustus von Goethe [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2001 7:27 PM
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: Re: [Open_Gaming] Forgotten Realms fan sites under OGL
>
>
>Thank you! Thank you! Oh, thank you - for finally for putting the spike
>throught the wacko "Wizard's online use policy is going away" rumor. I
>said
>
>it before and will say it again (repeatedly, I'm sure).
>
> If you are just doing D&D FAN stuff for and have no intention
> of making a business of it, you are MUCH better off using
> the "Online Use Policy" than you *EVER* will be using the OGL/D20.
>
> The OGL/D20 is *simply* not suited for your purpose.
>
>Faust
>
>
> >From: "Ryan S. Dancey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >Subject: Re: [Open_Gaming] Forgotten Realms fan sites under OGL
> >Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 17:55:48 -0700
> >
> >From: "Andrew Crossett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >
> > > So...does anyone have any insights as to what might become of
> > > setting-specific fan sites and nonprofit projects when the Internet
> >Policy
> > > axe comes down?
> >
> >Nothing. I doubt anyone at WotC will even notice.
> >
> >But sites which represent themselves as "d20" or "Open Gaming" sites are
> >going to start getting visits from their helpful neighborhood license
>fairy
> >letting them know what they're doing wrong.
> >
> >Ryan
> >
> >-------------
> >For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org
>
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