Re: [Open_Gaming] single most valuable equity asset?

[AndyHughey]

> It seems to me that the only legal rights the D20
> license gives publishers (i.e.: anyone who creates
> content for D20) is the right to give up their
> creations to open, royalty-free distribution.

Don't misread the license. The only things you are giving away are the things which 
you did not own in the first place. Anything derived from Open Game Content must also 
be Open. This is covered in Faust's FAQ as well as the license itself.

http://www.earth1066.com/D20FAQ.htm

The publisher retains the copyrights to any original work (if he so chooses) while the 
Open Game content is the stuff that's based on other Open Game content. All a 
publisher has to do is clearly mark which content is and is not covered by the OGL 
(sidebars, shaded text, etc.) See the tyrantfog zombie example on Eric Noah's site for 
a clear example.

The big benefits to publishers include skipping the whole laborious process of 
creating and testing a new rules system, access to an established audience, and 
support from the developer/user community. Plus, it feels good to give back to the 
whole.

-Andrew 
-------------
For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org