I found this very interesting. This is from
Brian Lewis, who was on the legal team that drafted the
original OGL.
"I could use your help. Our firm believes that it is crucial to our industry that it have
an agnostic open source style license that provides designers and publishers clarity on what they can readily use from a publisher’s game without having to pay lawyers to research or defend that use. The mere threat that the OGL, a tool that has widely been perceived as working toward that goal, could be unilaterally be modified or withdrawn casts a chilling specter of doubt and uncertainty on the gaming industry. As the person that came up with the legal framework behind the OGL, and as an invested custodian of our industry, I feel a powerful desire to drive a project to create the
OpenRPG License which is envisioned as
a truly independent open source license (of the kind that did not exist in 1996 when I started conceiving of this). Ultimately, this needs to be in the hands of a recognized and respected independent open source community hub that functions like Linux. -
Today we would like to announce this effort and create a hub for socializing and refining the OpenRPG License. I am hoping that you can help by letting me know if you support this, and if so, if you would be willing to share a message on your social media platform(s) roughly along the following lines: I believe our industry needs a new Open RPG License that will be system and publisher independent. My friends at Azora Law (
OpenRPG@azoralaw.com), an intellectual property law firm that represents several game publishers, came up with the legal framework for the original OGL over 20 years ago. I trust and support them in shepherding a broad effort to create an agnostic open source style license that provides designers and publishers clarity on what they can use from a participating publisher’s game without having to pay lawyers to research or defend it. They will also find an appropriate independent, non-profit home for the new Open RPG License. If you are an interested publisher or designer, I encourage you to join the effort and provide input and feedback on drafts of this license. Please sign up by using this form (
Thank you!).
Thank you!
