<<Not quite.  Section 9, point of emphasis: "You may use any authorised
version of this License"  All Wizards has to do is say "After date
MM/DD/YYYY only version X.X is authorized for use."  you could still use
content from previous versions, but you would have to do so under the newer
version.

>>

Andrew -- this raises an interesting question.  Since you do not interpret
"authorized" as "previously or currently authorized", but only as "currently
authorized" and since section 9 allows for reformation of the license....
Drum roll, please....

Under this interpretation, WotC could publish version 2.0 of the OGL, using
the reformation clause in the OGL to rewrite it from scratch, saying,
"anyone other than WotC who publishes anything with version 2.0 of the
license owes WotC a million dollars" and then state that OGL versions prior
to 2.0 are no longer authorised.

This would effectively allow them to corner the market on all OGL releases
to date.

Now, I'm not a paranoid delusional suggesting that this would occur
(industry backlash would be horrific, I'm certain), but it seems like a
logical extension of what _could_ occur were your interpretation correct.

Lee

-----------

Hm.  I'll run that one by my lawyer the next time I see him.  If I remember
my legal theory correctly, contract ambiguity gets decided by the civil
court or the owner of the licence if done before challenged in court.
(IANAL)  It would be a blow to Wizards, being the publicly traded company
that they are, and the need for the sales generated from the OGL/d20 system
(heck, all public companies always need to increase sales.)  However, I
could see that being challenged in court if they did do that.  Strike down
the OGL as unfair or illegal in some manner, and the whole thing goes out
the window.  One of the reasons I do not want to ever see the OGL go to
court. Too much for my favorite hobby would be at stake.

Andrew McDougall
a.k.a. Tir Gwaith


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