----- Original Message -----
From: "Doug Meerschaert" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2000 9:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Open_Gaming] Some license updates
> > >So the bottom line is: NO. It is not "perfectly within [your]
> > >rights to produce a [product] compatible with Snakemen of Blablabla
> > >module and say so."
> >
> > You hold this opinion. Others have written and hold a very
> > different opinion.
>
> Clark has identified himself as a lawyer. None of the rest of us have
> done so. His law degree gives his opinion about the law more weight
> than the rest of us who don't have one.
Don't get me wrong, I have total respect for Clark being a lawyer (all
lawyer jokes aside of course :-), but is he (are you Clark?) an Intellectual
Property (IP) lawyer. My brother's best friend is a lawyer and his
girlfriend is nearly one, but since neither of them specialize in IP I don't
consider their advice to have much weight and I don't think they would
either.
>
>
> > If you are afraid a big company with a valuable trademark
> > is going to sue you into oblivion, what does this clause
> > get you? You would ask for permission now but wouldn't
> > without the clause?
>
> I suspect this bit of confusion is caused by lack of communication, or
> knowledge as to what exacly a "trademark" is.
>
> Is the word dungeon, as used in the phrase, "lock him in the dungeon",
> the trademarked name of WotC's magazine (in a legal sense)? If so,
> we're screwed. If not, we're great.
My biggest question is "does WotC think it is and does it seem like they
would sue over it." If so and I am trying to utilize their OGL (sorry, it
comes from WotC, it is theirs in spirit at least) then I would be liable for
violating the license, perhaps in addition to the law. If I don't use the
OGL and they sue me at least I am not violating their license also. . .
I am not trying to be paranoid, but WotC has reached the level where I may
believe that the current staff would not have a problem, but what about
their replacements. . . not that this can't happen in a smaller company, but
the size and weight of WotC (and their backers) requires some caution, at
least in my eyes.
Later,
Ryan Fisk
Riinamiib Isirk (for the Vilani in the audience)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
-------------
For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org
