> Put simply: what's to stop a non-licensee from slapping a d20 logo on
> their work?
We'll sue them. And we'll win. At a minimum, in addition to being a
trademark infringement case, it's a copyright infringement case too.
> Trademark law requires that the licensor of a trademark (here, WotC)
> maintain some kind of quality control over products carrying the
> license.
That is not accurate. The trademark law makes no distinction as to
"quality". A trademark is valid so long as it does not become a "generic"
term in public discourse. There is little chance that "d20" will become a
generic term like "roleplaying game".
The d20 System Trademark License is modled on the very successful Compact
Disc trademark system instituted by Phillips, and the VHS trademark system
used by JVC.
> Naked trademarks are held to
> be abandoned, meaning that the prior owner of the mark no longer has
> exclusive rights to the mark in trade.
By acknowleding WotC's ownership of the mark, each licensee reinforces that
ownership. That acknowledgement is required as a condition of accpeting the
terms of the d20 System Trademark License. If anything, the d20 mark is
stronger today because it appears on so many 3rd party sources >under
license< than it would have been had it just appeared on WotC's books.
Ryan
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