Questions tagged [intellectual-property]
For questions related to copyright, trademark, and/or patent law as it applies to the publication and distribution of tabletop RPGs.
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Can my username include a D&D monster?
I had planned on creating a Twitch/YouTube channel. My username on PS4 and other places contains the name of a D&D monster (the bugbear.) Would my channel ever be in danger of action against it ...
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6
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1
answer
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Can iconic monsters like Beholders and Illithids be used via the SRD for D&D 5th edition?
Does the SRD of Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition now allow the use of some iconic monsters like Beholders and Illithids (Mind Flayer), since the SRD is now under CC license? Or they are still ...
anon
5
votes
1
answer
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Am I allowed to use the name Greyhawk in a group name and website name?
I have been running a 5e D&D group for several years with the tentative title "Spoils of Greyhawk" since the main campaigns have been placed in the World of Greyhawk.
I am now looking to ...
9
votes
1
answer
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Does the SRD5.1 being in CC free me allow me to directly state which system my book is made for?
As you may know, the SRD5.1 is now available on Creative Commons Attributions license.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/attachments/39j2li89/SRD5.1-CCBY4.0License.pdf
The document states that you can give ...
11
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1
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With the new Creative Commons SRD and the OGL no longer applying, can I name spells from Tasha's Cauldron in my supplement book?
This question has been asked here before the OGL scandal and I've seen the answers. From what I understood the, OGL had an agreement in place to not name any intellectual property, like spell names in ...
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2
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Can I use the name Vecna for a different character in my own work?
I am creating my own ttrpg and have reached the pantheon section. I was wondering whether or not I could use the name Vecna (not necessarily the same character) without receiving a lawsuit. Is it ...
- 51
5
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1
answer
206
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What licenses does FATE Freeport depend on?
FATE Freeport was made by Green Ronin games. It uses FATE rules, and FATE comes from Evil Hat, so I assume they have a license from Evil Hat. It also uses some of the ideas from Dungeons and Dragons, ...
- 488
5
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Non-commercial RPGs in the 40k universe?
I’m trying to figure out to what extent fan RPGs set in the 40k universe are allowed, clearly anything commercial is off the table — but as soon as it is explicitly non-commercial, it does seem in ...
25
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2
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What is Dungeons & Dragons' unique intellectual property?
With the recent OGL discussions and the probability of people moving out of D&D and making their own games and systems, it got me thinking...
What does Dungeons & Dragons own in terms of races,...
- 1,109
7
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2
answers
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Can I use UA material if I'm writing a D&D 5E OGL supplement to be sold on DriveThruRPG or Amazon?
Can I use Unearthed Arcana material if I'm writing a D&D 5E OGL supplement to be sold on DriveThruRPG or Amazon?
I am specifically interested in the UA: Psionic Options Revisited playtest material....
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2
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1
answer
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Can the abilities of a character be used in a tabletop RPG with just a few changes?
For instance the hero Warlock in DoTA 2 has various abilities, a full list of them (including names and stats) can be seen at https://liquipedia.net/dota2/Warlock#Abilities.
It is legal to create a ...
user79767
22
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3
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Which D&D monsters are copyrighted?
I am currently constructing a D&D supplement and was wondering which D&D monsters were copyrighted, so that I can avoid lawsuits. The reason I am asking on here instead of going to other sites ...
- 1,415
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1
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Is there any prior art for Dota 2 monsters/heroes? [closed]
I want to know if there is any prior art for many of the heroes/monsters from the video game Dota 2, to ensure that I can use (a few of) them in my tabletop RPG.
Some of them appear to be original ...
user76793
15
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4
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Is it legal to adapt a video game franchise into tabletop RPG for private use?
If a video game franchise like Warcraft, Dota, Diablo, StarCraft gets converted to tabletop RPG, will this require a license from owners if this RPG is private only?
user76793
14
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1
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Are classes from a tabletop RPG copyrightable?
E.g. Dungeons & Dragons has a SRD licensed under OGL (Open Game License), for the 3rd and 5th editions, but not all classes are in the SRD. Are the overall characteristics (not just the ...
user76793