>From: "Ryan S. Dancey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
>I think that continuing to critique the trademark license as a restrictive
>copyright license is confusing to the average person who hasn't read the
>two
>licenses and tends to sew disinformation about the purpose of both.
[FAUST Says]Please remember that what I posted was not my opinion. It was
just something I want to hear other people's opinions concerning...
(FAUST SAYS - Now playing devil's advocate to an extent.)
There is one critical issue here - the one that is in everybody's mind who
knows ANYTHING about open source software. When Linus wrote Linux, he
didn't create a cryptic "L20" license and he doesn't plan to sue everybody
who puts "This Product Is Designed to Run on Linux" on the box of their
product.
So the question from the "Open" community is, "Why can't I put 'This Product
is Designed to Run With D&D' on the cover of my box?" Where's the damage.
How is Wizards' hurt?
Based on what I have been hearing on other boards I think you will never get
beyond the perception in the community (correct or incorrect) that you are
pulling a fast one until and unless you make that possible. The perception
is that you are not giving enough, particularly in light of what many people
seem to consider to be the "grievous wrongs" perpetrated by you (TSR) in the
past. The prevalent perception is that you are not giving anything, rather
that you are using complicated legal trickery and definitions to put
restrictions on things.
>From the perspective of the uninitiated, you seem to be protecting what you
consider to be valuable, and giving away what you consider to be worthless.
I sincerely don't think you will ever get broad trust and acceptance from
the community unless you address that issue directly.
I can't emphasize it enough that I am a believer. I'm already writing "D20"
product - have more than 200 pages with sweeping "holes" where the SRD stuff
should go - have already invested more money than I like to think about in
research, design development, resources, contacts, and more time than I like
to think about also. I firmly believe that I am exactly the person you
invented this effort for. I consider myself your biggest booster!
But I personally have doubts about Wizards' committment because of these
issues.
So how about it? Address it directly. Sun said to Microsoft "You can't put
'Designed to Run With Java' on the outside of your box."
In your own words "an example of a concept that absolutely should have been
made Free Software but that is shackled by Sun and has been rendered nearly
useless as a market force."
Thirty years ago a bunch of college kids invented a game that defined an
industry and caught the hearts and minds of literally hundreds of thousands
of kids. So much so that tens of thousands of those kids spent much of
their free time refining that game, testing it, retesting it, submitting
articles, giving their ideas and their labors away for free - and with
little or no hope of ever getting compensated.
If that doesn't fit the definition of an example of a concept "that
absolutely should have been made free" then maybe I really don't understand
that concept.
Some people see parallels between what Sun did and what you are doing. In
your words, "that is absolute crap."
Sun said to Microsoft and the world "You can't put 'Designed to Run With
Java' on the outside of your box." For that they are ostracized by the open
source community.
Unless you can honestly and openly answer the question "Why CAN'T I put
'Designed to work with Dungeons and Dragons' on the box?" then I greatly
fear that all you are going to get from the truly "open" community is your
own phrase thrown back in your face...
So answer it directly. Why can't we put "Designed to work with Dungeons and
Dragons" on the box?
Sincerely;
Faust, A reluctant Devil's Advocate
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