The winds of change are a-blowin'...
But some blow harder than others. It appears that WotC has changed the System Trademark License (the agreement that lets you use the d20 logo on your book) and the d20 System Guide to allow them right of refusal on which products it appears on, retroactively (though that's still under debate). I'm not sure what impact this may have on the d20 industry; at first, using the d20 logo is a boon for new publisher, especially when d20 was in its infancy, but considering the proliferation of the system in the market and the regression from the spirit and base upon the STL was founded (see the gamingreport.com comment by Ryan Dancey), there are plenty of reasons for publishers to start ignoring the STL and just run off of the OGL now. Mutants and Masterminds and Everquest have not been hurt by the fact they are not using the STL - in fact, they are amongst the most successful d20 games right now, IIRC.
I can see why WotC might be intimidated by the fact that their brand (and the STL does require you to put their name on the cover and use their copyrighted logo) maybe associated with books like The Book of Erotic Fantasy and Naughty and Dice (even though they DID print the Book of Vile Darkness, which I feel is resounding 'proof' for all the conservative religious types who feel gaming is depraved and Satanic). If they want to change the STL, it's their property and they can - and there's always been a clause in the STL that said they could review and bust you for violating procedure using the OGL or their logo - but I agree with Mr. Dancey that the retroactive clause is counterproductive, demoralizing for the industry, and an unwise use of WotC's resources (which seem to be growing more and more limited). Personally, I hope this is a CYA by WotC for people that are out in left field, and will not be an aggressive campaign of censorship or attacks against publishers that WotC sees as a threat to the success of their own product (of which Spycraft may indeed be one). If that's the case, I don't imagine Projects X and Y will be carrying the d20 logo on their covers - but even if that's the case, I think they could do just fine.
Care to educate me on the nuances of the issue (Will, I know you're dying to here :) ), please comment below. I love a good discussion.
But some blow harder than others. It appears that WotC has changed the System Trademark License (the agreement that lets you use the d20 logo on your book) and the d20 System Guide to allow them right of refusal on which products it appears on, retroactively (though that's still under debate). I'm not sure what impact this may have on the d20 industry; at first, using the d20 logo is a boon for new publisher, especially when d20 was in its infancy, but considering the proliferation of the system in the market and the regression from the spirit and base upon the STL was founded (see the gamingreport.com comment by Ryan Dancey), there are plenty of reasons for publishers to start ignoring the STL and just run off of the OGL now. Mutants and Masterminds and Everquest have not been hurt by the fact they are not using the STL - in fact, they are amongst the most successful d20 games right now, IIRC.
I can see why WotC might be intimidated by the fact that their brand (and the STL does require you to put their name on the cover and use their copyrighted logo) maybe associated with books like The Book of Erotic Fantasy and Naughty and Dice (even though they DID print the Book of Vile Darkness, which I feel is resounding 'proof' for all the conservative religious types who feel gaming is depraved and Satanic). If they want to change the STL, it's their property and they can - and there's always been a clause in the STL that said they could review and bust you for violating procedure using the OGL or their logo - but I agree with Mr. Dancey that the retroactive clause is counterproductive, demoralizing for the industry, and an unwise use of WotC's resources (which seem to be growing more and more limited). Personally, I hope this is a CYA by WotC for people that are out in left field, and will not be an aggressive campaign of censorship or attacks against publishers that WotC sees as a threat to the success of their own product (of which Spycraft may indeed be one). If that's the case, I don't imagine Projects X and Y will be carrying the d20 logo on their covers - but even if that's the case, I think they could do just fine.
Care to educate me on the nuances of the issue (Will, I know you're dying to here :) ), please comment below. I love a good discussion.
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