From: kevin kenan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>In all of this discussion about Openess one point that I feel is important
>hasn't been brought up.
>
>With Open Source software, everyone who uses it must abide by the license.
>This is not true in Open gaming. Take d20 as an example (well, it's the
only
>example right now...). WotC releases d20 material and does not have to
abide
>by the license. If anyone else releases d20 material, they must use the
OGL.
>I'm not aware of anything like this in Open software.
>
>This is not an attack against WotC. Anyone who releases a new system under
>the OGL, has this advantage.
WotC can release D&D products without using the OGL. Since the D20SRD is
derivative of 3E D&D that's well within their rights. I would assume that
anything they publish prior to it's inclusion in the D20SRD will also be
well within their rights. The Star Wars game they are designing based on
the D20 rules might violate the OGL if it was not included. But since WotC
is contributing the OGC that will be used in Star Wars, it's hardly in their
best interests to sue themselves or fail to give themselves credit.
What WotC cannot do is to product new D20 products which include OGC
contributed my other people without including the OGL and the appropriate
copyright notices giving credit to the contributors. The OGL doesn't give
WotC an unfair edge over anyone else using OGL, it gives them the same
rights. Since they are contributing the D20 system as OGC, they retain the
rights to reproduce those rules as they see fit only crediting themselves.
Chris
www.IDrankWhat.org
www.coincidental.net
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