An example of what can go wrong

From: Ian Cooper <ian_hammond_cooper_at_...>
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 10:30:50 -0000

Those of you curious as to what can go wrong if companes fail to ensure their IP rights with respect to licenced or fan material need look no further than the sorry tale surrounding DGP and GDW (please don't ask thier mailing lists all about it, enough tears have been shed).

My summation is: DGP produced high quality products for Traveller, shared authors with GDW, had inside access to GDW staffers and were considered canon by most. DGP went bust. Their IP was bought. No agreement can now be reached over licensing that IP (both sides blame the other). As a result authors have been banned from using DGP ideas, or concepts in Traveller materials to protect themselves and their publishers from litigation. (The restrictions are more onerous than coyright might suggest due to the danger of accidental infringement). The canon convered four of the major cultures in the game. In Gloranthan terms, imagine what would happen if someone created a fantastic Teshnos supplement that everyone used. II might find iteslf unable to risk referring to any concepts, ideas, etc. in that publication without licensing it from the original author. What happens if those terms are unacceptable. Future authors could have to be banned from using the ideas for fear of 'accidental infringement'. The fans suffer because future works are not going to be compatible with those licenced pubs they bought and incorporated in their game. This is not theoretical speculation, it has already happened to Traveller and is a source of pain to the community.

This is for the best.

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