<< This has been an issue that I have wondered about for some time. The OGL requires you to copy the copyright notice of any other OGC that you use in your OGC product. However that copyright notice does not contain OGC, in fact it contains trademarks that I would have thought every publishers wants to protect, i.e. the name of the publishers themselves! >>
Yes, and no. While re-users can use your company name in their s.15 (it's not a matter of can, but must if you put your name in your s.15) if they reuse content from a book of yours, the OGL only allows the re-user to use your s.15 entry in s.15. Personally, I believe there is more benefit to including your company name in s.15 than any disadvantage there might be from others abusing your identity. See below. << I have absolutely no problem with other publishers using the OGC that I have created, in fact I would actively encourage it, but I have some severe reservations about them using my company name without my permission! This is so obviously open to abuse! Imagine a OGL printed on the inside cover nice and small except for section 15 which is printed in really big, bold fonts so that all the company names stand out. To an uninitiated consumer this would clearly indicate that these companies had some say in the production of the publication had endorsed it! >> I wouldn't be too concerned with the OGL on the inside of the back cover with a large font. Why, because if the customer is flipping through it in a store, there was something that caught his attention in the first place to pick it up and take a look. How about a scenario where the OGL is printed on the back of the product with a black back cover with the text of the OGL in grey and companies names in red. << I cannot see a clear way of resolving this but I would like to know what others think of this. >> Very easy. If you ever came across a product that used your company's name in that manner, send them a letter stating that you believe they are using your trademarks without your permission, and that you require them to either recall all product and destroy them (or print up labels to cover the area in question). If you feel that their product was damaging to your trademark(s) and/or company, tell them that you require them to compensate you (either they work with you, or you have the courts assess the damages). You could even make a case that you should receive a royalty for each product sold. -- Scott Fantages Studios: http://www.fantages-studios.com Law Clerk by day, Publisher of Wrestle, the Fantages Game System and The Rya'mier Campaign Setting by night. _______________________________________________ Ogf-l mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.opengamingfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/ogf-l
