I think you're not grasping the distinction here between "copying" and "reporting contents", which is a pretty basic one in copyright law. Rather than getting into nuances of such legalisms, you'd be better employed asking what actual restrictions Chaosium would place on the 'fruits' of such, if that's your concern. But clearly it isn't, given your long-standing disinterest in the entire project.
What is unreasonable about copyrighting _any_ Gloranthan piece, whether it appears out of Greg's mouth or on his website? In your zeal to portray Issaries as Evil Control Freaks, you seem to be arguing, effectively, for some sort of IPR free-for-all.
> As for Issaries needing to be insulated from Chaosium's risks...let's
> try to remain serious here, shall we?
Yes, let's. After all, it just wouldn't be _sensible_ to have thought that the Pendragon line might have had to be "insulated" from the financial risks of Mythos, would it? I suggest that if my money gets donated to Issaries as an act of charity, or better, enlightened self-interest, to keep Glorantha afloat, I would be _mightily_ cheesed off if it ends up being spent on Yet Another Call of Cthulhu Product, in which I have negligible interest. You seem to regard Chaosium as some sort of big fat megacorp, happy to milk the cash-cow of its gullible consumers, when it's in reality a small, vulnerable company in an industry which has turned some of its elder brethern into piles of dust, and in which many of it's younger, healthier siblings are pretty filled with maggots, also. (Pardon the 'omage.)
> Here's how you can get completely around the
> selling of shares, undertake your risky business plan, and offer the
> contributors a chance at actually getting back their "investment" + more in
> return:
> Initiate: $100
> One scenario pack/year free ($10-$20 value; 5-10 years to "break even")
For once, Brian, I agree with you. A scheme _on such lines_ (leaving aside the pragmatics and exact economics) would have a much better 'feel' than the current one. (I've already said so, mind you, so I can agree with you without it _entirely_ wrecking my self-image.)
> Throw out most of the other benefits; many of them are elitist junk anyway.
> If the money doesn't add up, adjust appropriately (Initiate $125, etc.). Of
> course, there'd have to be *hard* guarantees on publication schedules for
> this to work out
Would it be futile to point out that that's for one thing, a practical impossibility ("release the supplement now, or we start shooting the staffer hostages!"?) For a second, did you read about the legal problems in the 'stock issue'? Portraying ther GTA as some sort of explicit 'investment' could (would) run into similar legal wrangles, if not fraud charges, lawsuits, and all sorts of incredibly ugly stuff.
> The donation scheme will only work if there's $50K of goodwill left
> towards the people holding the reins to Glorantha, and I wouldn't
> consider that a safe bet nowadays...
I think there probably is. I hope so! (There's $12,200, at any rate.) But then again, supposing there is, why use it up all at once?
> Also, securing the web content won't be at all easy.
The mind boggles what point you allude to here. The web content can be made at least as 'secure' as gazillions of photocopies of Griffin Mountain, no?
Slainte,
Alex.
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