[Ogf-l] Easy OGL Compliance or, "I give you these 15... *crash* ... er, 6 commandments!"

[The Sigil]

==========Part the Third==========

It seems to me that complying with the OGL consists mainly of following a few VERY simple steps and it's rather disappointing to me that almost three years into the OGL, we are still having problems with them...

And perhaps others can modify/add to this checklist, but here's the one I see:

1.) When you write, refer only to Open Game Content (e.g., use the SRD, not the PH, DMB, and MM).

2.) As soon as you use Open Game Content from another source, update your Section 15. Don't try to go through the document after the fact and figure out where everything came from - as soon as you add something to your document, update Section 15. Better yet, once you decide to add something, update Section 15 first, THEN add the material.

2a.) OPTIONAL - It is nice - but not required - to contact the original publisher of "re-used" OGC. It is also a nice courtesy IMO to send a complimentary copy of your product to anyone whose OGC you have re-used.

3.) Indicate the Open Game Content in your document. Open Game Content is made up of copyrighted material - that means text, artwork, software, music, and/or video (not an exhaustive list) but NOT "abstract concepts." Recognize that this copyrighted material is effectively being opened up to all for cutting/pasting under the OGL - it's not quite Public Domain but it is close.

4.) Make it *clear* what is OGC. Give a draft of your document to a friend (outside your company) and explain to him that you want him to check to see if he knows exactly what is OGC. If he has ANY questions on what is or is not OGC, you need to re-work your designation and make it more clear.

5.) Include a copy of the OGL with your work.

6.) If you want to include other (i.e., non-OGC) stuff, get permission from the copyright holder first. Make sure that the non-OGC stuff is NOT designated as OGC.

That's about it. It's really not rocket science, IMO. The only parts that should possibly be at all complicated - and they don't have to be all that complex - are (a) figuring out how to word a designation of OGC (b) making sure that the wording of designation is clear. In essence, the OGL (in my reading) requires that your designation be such that a "reasonable person" can parse your work and highlight exactly and only the OGC, be it text, artwork, software code, or what have you on the first pass (assuming he has that much spare time on his hands LOL).

Anyone want to disagree, add to the list, explain something better, etc.?

--The Sigil

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