Welcome to GamingReport.com
Search
Where Gamers get their News Login|Create Free Account
Main Menu
· Home
· Your Account
· Submit News
· Send Us Feedback
· Most Active List

News
· News by Topic
· News Archives
· RSS & Java News Feeds
· AvantGo News Feed
· Interviews
· OUT OF THE BOX
· Game Advice
· Non-Gamer Report
· Other Columns
· MP3 Audio News

Gallery, Reviews & Conventions
· Image Gallery - NEW
· Game Reviews
· Want Game Review?
· Convention Calendar

Other Options
· Recommend Us
· Members List
· Web Site Links

Advertisement


Latest Reviews
Elder Evils
Reviewed by: Wayne Tonjes
Warriors: A Compreh...
Reviewed by: Curt Meyer
Radio Rivendell Com...
Reviewed by: Israel Luengo
Party Pooper™
Reviewed by: Wayne Tonjes
Xeko Mission: Madag...
Reviewed by: Wayne Tonjes
Xeko Mission: Costa...
Reviewed by: Wayne Tonjes
Xeko Mission: Indon...
Reviewed by: Wayne Tonjes
Micro Mutants: Evol...
Reviewed by: Wayne Tonjes
Chaotic Trading Car...
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
Manhattan
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
Ticket to Ride: Swi...
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
Oregon
Reviewed by: Ron McClung

Out of the Box

Click to Read Kenneth Hite's "Out of the Box Column"

Media Partners
D&D Adventurers
GameWyrd  Roleplaying Resources
ComicCritique.Com
Microtactix
KMANT

RSS Feeds
For your convenience GamingReport's two types of RSS Feeds.

GamingReport's Last 10 News Headlines

GamingReport's Last 10 News Summaries

Java Based Feeds are available as well

Advertisement


D20 News: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License
Posted 2003-09-07 16:10:50 by damonwhite

D20 Development News Planesdragon Reports: "Wizards of the Coast has quietly revised the d20STL to require adherence to "Qualitiy Standards." Wizards now has the right to review any work carrying the d20 logo, and require a re-write or removal of the logo if they find the content

too violate their standards of desency.

From the current (v.5) d20STL:

4. Quality Standards

The nature of all material You use or distribute that incorporates the Licensed Articles must comply with all applicable laws and regulations, as well as community standards of decency, as further described in the d20 System Guide. You must use Your best efforts to preserve the high standard and goodwill of the Licensed Trademarks. In order to assure the foregoing standard and quality requirements, Wizards of the Coast shall have the right, upon notice to You, to review and inspect all material released by You that uses the Licensed Articles. You shall fully cooperate with Wizards of the Coast to facilitate such review and inspection, including timely provision of copies of all such materials to Wizards of the Coast. Wizards of the Coast may terminate this License immediately upon attempted notice to you if it deems, in its sole discretion, that your use of the Licensed Articles does not meet the above standards.


Not that this doesn't make sense, what with the recent plethora of "mature D&D;" products, but it is someting to be made aware of. Wizards of the Coast has put us all on notice that they will review and revoke our license to use their trademarks if we do not comply with their "standards of descency."

If you don't agree with this, your only choice is to not use the d20STL. You can still use the OGL and any and all OGC, and there is nothing (short of the Supreme Court rendering copyleft null and void) that anyone can do to undo the OGL (If you want to use a seperate logo, I suggest the "OpenDie" and "Prometheus" logos from the Free Gaming Association.)

The relevant section from the d20 System Guide:

Quality Standards

In determining whether a product complies with community standards of decency, Wizards of the Coast uses, but is not limited to the following. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Wizards of the Coast reserves the right to determine, in its sole discretion, whether a product complies with community standards of decency.

Violence and Gore – Descriptions of combat are acceptable in a Covered Product. However art or text depicting excessively graphic violence or gore is not acceptable.

Sexual Themes - Sexual situations—including abuse and pornography—may not appear graphically in art or text. When depicting the human form—or creatures possessing humaniform features—gratuitous nudity, the depiction of genitalia, bare female nipples, and sexual or bathroom activity is not acceptable. While sensuality and sexuality may appear in a Covered Product, it must not be the focus nor can it be salacious in nature.

Prejudice - Covered Products can not depict existing real-world minorities, nationalities, social castes, religious groups, genders, lifestyle preferences, or people with disabilities as a group inferior to any other group. Current, real-world religions and religious groups and/or practices will not be portrayed in any way that promotes disrespect for these religions or their participants. A Covered Product can not endorse or promote any specific religion or religious practice.


Now, none of this seems extremely unbearable for mainstream RPG products--but there are a few that are probably specifically targeted by it. And because of the nature of the d20STL, these change are retroactive to every product that's ever been written using any version of the d20STL."


 
Related links
· Official Open Gaming Site
· More about D20 Development News
· News by damonwhite
· GamingReport Home


Most read story in D20 Development News:
Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License


Printer friendly page  Send this story to a friend


"D20 News: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License" | Login/Create an account | 58 Reader Comments
Threshold
Comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.
Unable to post a comment? Click here for details
Re: d20STL change Alert(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Sep 07, 2003 - 07:09 PM
>these change are retroactive to every product that's ever been written using any version of the d20STL."

Retroactive? Surely that can't be legal; at least, as regards products published under Version 1.0a. (New ones published under whatever the now-current version is, sure, but that's something else.)


[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Sep 07, 2003 - 10:25 PM
I'm pretty unhappy with the decision to alter the d20 System Trademark License to include post-publication content limitations.

In my opinion, the current version of the d20 STL is not a license I would be comfortable using in a commercial work unless I was able to secure a release from Wizards prior to publication exempting me from the content clauses. The potential for abuse (accidential or intentional) of the new clauses renders the "safe harbor" established by the D20 System Trademark License moot.

By altering the risk equation that must be considered by each party to the D20 System Trademark License in such a manner, in my opinion, it may now be more risky for a publisher to publish with the D20STL than without it. Thus the changes severely undermine the value proposition of the license as a whole.

Prior to these changes Wizards of the Coast was insulated from the contents of 3rd party d20 products through its inability to assert a review or approval right over such contents. By insisting on such a right, Wizards of the Coast has just made themselves liable for defamation, slander, trade secret, copyright, patent, and trademark litigation which would otherwise have been limited to the original publisher.

In addition, they've put themselves into a terrible PR position. Prior to these changes, Wizards of the Coast could refuse public comment on the contents of any product using the D20STL, claiming no prior knowledge nor approval responsibility for distasteful work. Now they will be forced to explain either a) why they support a work containing distasteful content, or b) when they'll be forcing the publisher to institute a recall of that work.

The net result of this change will be more work for Wizards of the Coast (with no related revenue), more danger of a public communications nightmare, less D20-logoed product, and an increase in the effort devoted to creating (and the value of) a publisher-sponsored D20 trademark replacement not controlled by Wizards of the Coast .

All those problems have been incurred to gain the ability to stop one product from commercial distribution to a limited audience. And in the end, Wizards of the Coast probably won't stop the release of that product. All they'll stop is the publisher's use of the words "Dungeons & Dragons" and a logo the size of a postage stamp.

Essentially, Wizards gets nothing for this change but heartache.

This is what happens when emotion gets in front of rational business management. And, in my opinion, it is an extremely unfortunate choice.

I hope you'll join me in asking Wizards of the Coast to reconsider its stance on this matter and retract this change to the d20 System Trademark License.

Ryan S. Dancey
Founder, Open Gaming Foundation


[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Sep 08, 2003 - 09:53 AM
This is the biggest pile of CENSORSHIP that I have seen in a long time.

By these definitions, the "Critical Hits: Torn Asunder" book would have to be reprinted with little black bars over the offending dismemberments.

Blech!


[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 1)
by Batmonk on Sep 08, 2003 - 10:40 AM
(User info | Send a Message)
Ryan, I am not so sure that WOTC is automatically liable for defamation or other liability arising from future d20 publications which do not violate the decency standards set forth in the System Guide. In addition, since this is not prior restraint--WOTC has to wait for the product to be release to subject it to review-- WOTC would not be liable upon release. WOTC may not be liable at all since one generally has to show WOTC had knowledge or recklessly disregarded the truth that would appear to be a difficult burden for a defamation plaintiff.

As to PR costs, I am sure WOTC balanced this change against the potential costs and headache of an offensive product being released under the d20 logo. This way, publishers will self-censor if they want to use the d20 logo. I doubt WOTC will have to do very much at all in enforcement since the mere threat is probably enough to dissuade a d20 publisher from spending any time on developing a "Book of Scatological Fantasy."

Which, all told, is probably a good thing because forthcoming books that will likely violate the decency standards as set forth above would have a small market and virtually no use other than as stroke material for losers. I submit that it is harder in our current entertainment culture to set forth a set of standards and stick to them that to simply mutter something incoherent about the 1st Amendment and hope that the garbage doesn't fall into the hands of one's own kids.



[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Sep 08, 2003 - 11:20 AM
WotC is placing censorship on new d20 books. Heck, they can even control what is released if they left it a bit more vague and have total control over RPGs. WotC is slowing becoming the Micro$oft of gaming. I hope they realize that people that buy RPGs most oftn are adults and enough kiddie stuff would not be a big selling point. d20 may be over since companies now must jump through hoops to get anything made. It's not the way it originally was with OGL.

Hopefully, this will kill d20 so RPGs have more variety like they used to and be more fun to play without the video game feel to them.


[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Sep 08, 2003 - 11:28 AM
Rather than pissing down WotC's leg, it seems to me that more folks ought to direct their ire at Anthony Valterra. WotC was perfectly happy to remain hands-off, with minor course corrections in the OGL, until Valterra decided to take a huge, steaming crap right in the middle of the d20 market. Perceived demand or not, he's made an embarrassment of the entire d20 arm of the roleplaying industry, and abused the spirit of the OGL while ostensibly obeying the letter.


[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Sep 08, 2003 - 01:21 PM
Folks,
The assumption is that the order went this way:

1) The BoeF was announced
2) WotC decided to change the license in reponse.
Thus the BoeF is responsible for the change.

I am not saying this is true (and I am not saying it is not) but it is also possible that:
1) Internally a decision was made to change the license.
2) The BoeF, which was only a brainchild, was rushed out the door in an attempt to beat the change in the license.

You can hate the BoeF all you want - the truth is its going to be a well written book. And valuable to those who want those themes in their game. Please feel free to condemn it *after* its out and you've seen it. Even this reviewer, who admits he was against the idea when he first heard about it, concedes that it is well done (or at least the preview is).
http://www.computingondemand.com/articles/The%20Valar%20Project/page1.shtml
But - I would bet that if asked, WotC would admit that these changes were in the offing for quite sometime. BoeF may have only sped up the process. So if it is true that these changes were in process before BoeF - who *is* the target of these new rules? Alot of people assume it is *just* BoeF. Maybe that is not true.
Once again I am not *saying* anything. Just speculating.

AV


[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Sep 08, 2003 - 02:14 PM
Hackmaster here I come. I do believe that none of Kenzer's Hackmaster books would pass the new standards.

Also, does a sourcebook centered in the biblical age promote one religion over another? Who's to decide?


[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 1)
by fesarius on Sep 08, 2003 - 06:15 PM
(User info | Send a Message)
It's certainly possible that this provision was enacted in response to Anthony Valtera's BoEF. The timing would certainly point a finger that way. Given the controversial nature of the book, it's likely that WoTC -- and perhaps more importantly, Hasbro, is going to face some tough questions from reporters and the public. Hasbro makes games and toys, mostly pitched to a very young audience. That will make those questions extra uncomfortable.

But there are other possible explanations.

One is that WoTC remembers when the religious right and various other people tried to have Dungeons and Dragons banned from schools. These people felt (and many still feel) that the game undermines religion, and erodes the moral center. Most people disagree, but fundamentalists the world over share a few traits: they're shrill, they're loud, and they can't be reasoned with. WoTC may feel that it is acting to prevent a resurgence of attitudes that cost TSR a lot of younger gamers.

Another is that WoTC is attempting to make the d20STL unpalatable to use, in the hopes that its use will fall out of favor.

And, finally, it's possible that there's someone (or several someones) at WoTC who just don't like some of the material that's being published. I doubt, for example, that everyone at WoTC thought the BoVD was a good idea. These individuals may have reached a position of power and responsibility that permits them to indulge their personal prejudices. Ryan Dancey pointed out a number of reasons why this is a poor business decision. It seems hard to believe that these ideas *entirely* escaped notice at WoTC. If one presumes they knew about them, or about some of them, then one must ask what motivated them to this choice regardless -- and the answer might be emotion. It wouldn't be the first time emotion had led people to make poor business decisions.


[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Sep 09, 2003 - 06:13 AM
You know, it's annoying more than anything else, And it probably will not change a damn thing other than the fact that the nice snazzy D20 logo won't appear on all of the books anymore.

I'm a grown up gamer, and I like maturity in my games (proper maturity, not headline grabbing BoVD stuff). and I had begun to think that the D&D; market was begining to have some books that were actually challenging some of people's Ideas of gaming. But it's a shame if this does have the effect of curtailing that.



[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 1)
by Sabledrake on Sep 09, 2003 - 08:29 AM
(User info | Send a Message)
Naughty & Dice: An Adult Gamer's Guide to Sexual Situations was scheduled to go to the printer in about a week. We have time to do an edit and while we don't at this moment know exactly what we're going to change, we are confident that we can publish a quality product.


Thanks to everyone who sent us e-mails about this change!



--Tim Morgan


Owner, Sabledrake Enterprises -- http://sabledrake.com
Publisher of Naughty & Dice: An Adult Gamer's Guide to Sexual Situations



[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Sep 09, 2003 - 11:22 AM
I see a lot of posts that are interpreting the d20 STL in various ways that are not correct. The d20 STL v 4.0 does not apply to products already published before it was released.

I specifically dealt with an issue re: the d20 STL and the 'option' to use the phrase "Requires the use of the Third Edition Players' Handbook by Wizards of the Coast". Which was an option before v 3.0 of the d20 STL. Now it is a requirement.

WotC contacted me directly about the issue and after they discovered that my product was released before v 3.0 they stated that it was a misunderstanding and that I had followed the version of the STL that was applicable when my book was published.

I have kept all of the correspondence between myself and WotC as precedence for future issues with the d20 STL.

So when I say that books published before this change cannot be held to the strict standards WotC is now imposing, I speak from experience and not opinion or my interpretation of the d20 STL.





[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Sep 09, 2003 - 11:37 AM
Transcript of my correspondence with Wotc follows:



-----Original Message-----
From: Hawkins, Julie [mailto:Julie.Hawkins@wizards.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 6:22 PM
To: faq@citizengames.com
Subject: Sidewinder Wild West Adventure - Legal Notice from Wizards of the Coast, Inc.



It has come to our attention that your new book - Sidewinder Wild West Adventure (''Sidewinder") inadvertently violates the terms of the d20 System License, specifically the section outlining Mandatory Trademark Use.

It states that you must include , visibly and in a readable size, on the cover or back cover of the Covered Product, one or more of the following text blocks:

"Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons(R) Player's Handbook, Third Edition, published by Wizards of the Coast(R)”

or

“Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons(R), Third Edition Core Books, published by Wizards of the Coast(R)”
or

“Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons(R), Third Edition Core Books, and the Psionics Handbook, published by Wizards of the Coast(R)”

or

“Requires the use of a Roleplaying Game Core Book published by Wizards of the Coast(R)”

Sidewinder unfortunately does not display any of these text blocks. Please give me a call/email to discuss how we can rectify this situation.

Thank you,
Julie

Julie R. Hawkins
Senior Corporate Counsel
Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
1801 Lind Ave. SW
Renton, WA 98055
(T) 425.254.2951
(F) 425.204.7689
julie.hawkins@wizards.com

----------------------------------------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Stone [mailto:stoney@citizengames.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 7:32 PM
To: Hawkins, Julie; faq@citizengames.com
Subject: RE: Sidewinder Wild West Adventure - Legal Notice from Wizards of the Coast, Inc.


The book was made available to the public before July 1st and therefore falls under the previous License in accordance with the section of the System Guide that states:

"Covered Works published under Version 1.0 of the D20 System Trademark License available for sale to the public before July 1, 2002 that contain “Miniatures” or use the term “Core Rules”, or do not include one of the mandatory text blocks, or cite page numbers in a Wizards of the Coast product by reference may continue to be sold and marketed without alteration. "


Regards,

Rob Stone
Creative Director
Citizen Games LLC
*********************
"Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved."
~ Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
*********************

-----------------------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: Hawkins, Julie [mailto:Julie.Hawkins@wizards.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 11:11 AM
To: Rob Stone
Cc: Valterra, Anthony
Subject: RE: Sidewinder Wild West Adventure - Legal Notice from Wizards of the Coast, Inc.


You're right. I was misinformed and only had a copy of the new license. Apologies for any inconvenience.
Julie


--------------------------------------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: Valterra, Anthony [mailto:Anthony.Valterra@wizards.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 12:24 PM
To: Hawkins, Julie; Rob Stone
Subject: RE: Sidewinder Wild West Adventure - Legal Notice from Wizards of the Coast, Inc.


Rob,
This is my fault. A big D'oh over here. I hope we didn't give you a start.

AV


[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Sep 10, 2003 - 06:26 AM
WotC/Hasbro is writing yet another chapter to the saga called Dungeons and Dragons. This time, they've decided to go back to the Blume era, or so it seems.

1) RPGA in essence becomes a full marketting arm of Hasbro as it drops all non-D20 campaigns and refuses to accept any D20 campaigns they do not have a hand in somewhere. (Living City/Living Kalamar) Living Arcanis stays, but is not allowed to use the builder books any longer.

2) RPGA issues 'conflict of interest' messages to those people who are working on Living Greyhawk as Triad members, but who also have ties to other D20 campaigns not directly controlled by WotC (Living Kalamar/Living Arcanis) and drops those people from their Triads, despite years of good service.

3) Hasbro/WotC changes the D20 license as above, giving them right of prior consent to any products subsequently published.

To me, this is a trend. Though many think this is a reaction to BoEF, and other mature-themed books, I see it as Hasbro/WotC trying to stop the plethora of D20 publishers out there. Look at the vagueness of their statements...in essence, if they can come up with a reason to deny a product, they can spike it.

The resolution of this, of course, is to go to the OGL only, and avoid the D20 logo and Hasbro entirely. Hopefully, also, some of the proposed alternatives to the RPGA get off the ground so OGL national campaigns can have a central organization to distribute their modules and showcase their campaigns, as well as campaigns based on rulesets OTHER than D20.


[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 1)
by Plunderer_of_the_planes on Sep 14, 2003 - 12:38 PM
(User info | Send a Message) http://
Well back to 2e for me.


[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

what about oversea products(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Nov 20, 2003 - 05:29 AM
How Wizard plans to look after all the books written and printed in other countries? Places like Brazil, Europe, or any other country that has a community of writers and editors that are releasing d20 products?

What do we have to do send them the books in our native language and wait for their approval or increase the costs with an english version specially for them???



[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]

Re: Wizards Of The Coast Changes The D20 System Trademark License(Score: 0)
by An Anonymous Reader on Jan 26, 2004 - 02:39 PM
Changing the d20 license only lets Wizards limit what can be done with it. BoVD and BoED are mature books, says so on the cover, yet BoEF can't have the d20 logo since it covers mature themes. Seems like Wizards opened Pandora's Box and now trying to close it. What is the point of having an open gaming system if one company tells others what they can or can't do with it yet Wizards can do as they please?

Personally, I use Hero 5th and BESM from now on. I can do anything and not depend on sourcebooks for every little thing. I still believe that Wizards, with copyrights to MTG and D&D;, they will become the next Micro$oft of gaming.

Too many hippocritcs at WOTC.


[ Comments not allowed for anonymous users, please register ]






All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner. The comments are property of their posters.
All content unless otherwise noted are © 1999-2006 GamingReport.com. All rights reserved.