Post by Jason Vey on Dec 18, 2008 13:36:20 GMT -5
There have been a few people who have asked about publishing their own support materials for S&S. I wanted to clear up a few things about my stance on that, and the legalities of it.
The policy below is subject to change, but any changes will always be listed here. I'd like to keep this simple if we can, so hopefully munchkinism and rules lawyering don't extend to third-party support publishing
.
1. The brand is not free. That is to say, you can't use the "Spellcraft and Swordplay" trademark or trade dress (or any other Elf Lair Games trademark/dress, for that matter) without a separate licensing agreement from Elf Lair Games...for profit. I'll get to the intarwebs in a minute.
2. There is, however, a great deal of open content included in the core book. This open content is, well, open content, and you are obviously free to use it in conjunction with the Open Game License. I will even, right here for all to see, grant a separate license to indicate compatibility as required in the text of the OGL. I am hereby granting a "separate license" to create material and put "Compatible with Spellcraft & Swordplay" on the cover, and still be within the bounds of the Open Game License section 7. Just be very careful to use only specifically designated open content and not excerpt text from the core book that is not designated open. If you're working with a legit 3rd party publisher, they should have a handle on this. If there are any questions, feel free to ask me about it via PM here (I'm still in the process of setting up my company e-mail). It's probably best you don't openly post it; just send me a PM. I'll post my company e-mail as soon as it's ready to go.
3. Do NOT indicate that your product is in any way an official S&S-licensed product. Indicating compatibility is one thing; indicating an official license is something else entirely. I hope that doesn't seem too harsh, but this is a burgeoning company and trademark, and as such I want to maintain quality control, especially at this early stage. I just don't have the resources, time, or manpower to review every compatible product for official licensing.
4. Internet Policy: As long as you're not excerpting material that's not OGC directly from our books, have at it! Fan pages are a great way to get your ideas out there and spread support for the game and company. You can even feel free to nick the S&S logo to throw up there (ONLY ON THE WEB, NOT IN PUBLICATION) if you like--HOWEVER, I'd ask that you include the following disclaimer somewhere on your page that is plainly visible:
"Spellcraft & Swordplay, Monsters & Mayhem, Eldritch Witchery, and [any other trademarks of ours you use here] are Trademark ™ and Copyright © 2008 by Elf Lair Games. This page is fan-created and no infringement, challenge or claim to ownership is intended or implied in the content herein, nor is any association with Elf Lair Games assumed, claimed, or implied. Spellcraft & Swordplay logo used by permission."
Again, to clarify: the use of the S&S logo is permitted only for use on fan-made support web pages, not in any form of publication, including pdf e-publication.
You can get a transparent gif of the S&S logo here.
The policy below is subject to change, but any changes will always be listed here. I'd like to keep this simple if we can, so hopefully munchkinism and rules lawyering don't extend to third-party support publishing
. ELF LAIR GAMES INTERNET AND THIRD PARTY SUPPORT POLICY
1. The brand is not free. That is to say, you can't use the "Spellcraft and Swordplay" trademark or trade dress (or any other Elf Lair Games trademark/dress, for that matter) without a separate licensing agreement from Elf Lair Games...for profit. I'll get to the intarwebs in a minute.
2. There is, however, a great deal of open content included in the core book. This open content is, well, open content, and you are obviously free to use it in conjunction with the Open Game License. I will even, right here for all to see, grant a separate license to indicate compatibility as required in the text of the OGL. I am hereby granting a "separate license" to create material and put "Compatible with Spellcraft & Swordplay" on the cover, and still be within the bounds of the Open Game License section 7. Just be very careful to use only specifically designated open content and not excerpt text from the core book that is not designated open. If you're working with a legit 3rd party publisher, they should have a handle on this. If there are any questions, feel free to ask me about it via PM here (I'm still in the process of setting up my company e-mail). It's probably best you don't openly post it; just send me a PM. I'll post my company e-mail as soon as it's ready to go.
3. Do NOT indicate that your product is in any way an official S&S-licensed product. Indicating compatibility is one thing; indicating an official license is something else entirely. I hope that doesn't seem too harsh, but this is a burgeoning company and trademark, and as such I want to maintain quality control, especially at this early stage. I just don't have the resources, time, or manpower to review every compatible product for official licensing.
4. Internet Policy: As long as you're not excerpting material that's not OGC directly from our books, have at it! Fan pages are a great way to get your ideas out there and spread support for the game and company. You can even feel free to nick the S&S logo to throw up there (ONLY ON THE WEB, NOT IN PUBLICATION) if you like--HOWEVER, I'd ask that you include the following disclaimer somewhere on your page that is plainly visible:
"Spellcraft & Swordplay, Monsters & Mayhem, Eldritch Witchery, and [any other trademarks of ours you use here] are Trademark ™ and Copyright © 2008 by Elf Lair Games. This page is fan-created and no infringement, challenge or claim to ownership is intended or implied in the content herein, nor is any association with Elf Lair Games assumed, claimed, or implied. Spellcraft & Swordplay logo used by permission."
Again, to clarify: the use of the S&S logo is permitted only for use on fan-made support web pages, not in any form of publication, including pdf e-publication.
You can get a transparent gif of the S&S logo here.