A group of programmers at Indie Sands http://indiesandsproductions.com/ has reopened their work on Dark Sun Online (DSO). A concerted effort was made to open Dark Sun Online to the public back in 2008, but WotC denied the use of Athasian names, places, characters, etc. Cassie Pemberton of WotC was the point of contact and did not elaborate as to why the request was denied. However, if possible, we at Indie Sands would like to learn how athas.org has acquired the ability to use and republish Athasian material. If we could parallel your contracts somehow, we could reopen the floodgates on DSO. Is it solely because of 3rd edition that athas.org is able to publish material? What are the stipulations in your contract(s), if any? We would like to get back to work on the 1996 Dark Sun Online and continue to expand the world. Any assistance we can get related to licensing and copyrights of Athas would be most appreciated.

WOW! dark sun online! will it be like shattered lands? looks like it from the scrennies. I hope this gets done looks like it could be great! also will it be mmo like? something like icewindale would be awesome if you could party up with ppl that would be cool.

Yes, the plan is for a MMO that is something like shattered. Unfortunately, licensing is a huge problem right now. Namely because of the Dark Sun name. So, we need to know how Athas got licensed (if they needed to). That way we can hopefully replicate their effort. Or, if we get a license with Athas.org that would be awesome as well.

The problem is, as it stands, Dark Sun is own by WoTC and it would be illegal for us to publicly distribute a game with that name. =(

~PauloftheWest

hmm sorry i cant help much but….

if its not comercial i dont think you need their promision if it is to be downloaded

also if it based off 2e your more likley to get a better responce from WOTC (they arent currently makeing money from 2e) make sure they know that its 2e not 4e. I reread most of thier policy and they all seam to be about 4th edition you might get away with using 2nd edition content idk.

Toothpaste,

Do you know the people that got the license here on athas.org? Our communication with WoTC has mostly been ignore. The one contact we were able to reach gave us the uh-I-don’t-want-to-talk-to-you-now-go-away reaction. What we need are solid contacts. So, do you know anyone here on athas.org that can help?

Thank you!

Okay after digging through some copyrights and legal stuff. It appears that athas.org has tried to stay with the OGL as much as possible. Although, there is a clause in the core rules that identify Dark Sun as PI of WoTC. Also, according to WoTC’s website the OGL can be applied to software (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/oglfaq…)

1) Does this mean we can use anything on athas.org for our software, but not the Dark Sun name, characters, and anything else that is PI?
2) If 1) is true THEN: How were y’all able to legally write the documents? Did you have to get permission from WoTC? If so, who did you contact? If you are not comfortable posting that data, please PM me or message me at the indiesands forums located here: http://indiesandsproductions.com/forums/

Thank for keeping Dark Sun going!

~PauloftheWest

found this in th opening of the dark sun 3 pdf dowloadable in the producs section

Designation of Product
Identity: The following items are hereby designated as Product Identity in accordance with
Section 1(e) of the Open Game License, version 1.0a: Any and all Wizards of the Coast logos and identifying marks and
trade dress, including all Wizards of the Coast product and product line names including but not limited to Dark Sun,
The City‐state of Tyr, Dune Trader, Elves of Athas, Veiled Alliance, and any specific characters, monsters, creatures, and
places; capitalized names and names of places, magical or psionic items, artifacts, characters, countries, creatures,
geographic locations, gods, historic events, magic items, organizations, spells, and powers; and any and all stories,
storylines, histories, plots, thematic elements, and dialogue; all spells monsters in the Monstrous Compendium
Appendix: Terrors Beyond Tyr; and all artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, illustrations, maps, and cartography,
likenesses, poses, logos, or graphic designs, except such elements that already appear in final or draft versions of the d20
System Reference Document and are already Open Game Content by virtue of appearing there. The above Product
Identity is not Open Game Content.

i think that means you can use any thing in that pdf forr non- revanue generating activity without vilolating the OGl

-Toothpaste

I wish I’m wrong, but those appear to be Product Identity. To quote the OGL:

7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.

In other words to use Dark Sun we need permission from WoTC or (possibly) Athas.org! I think I read that as long as the material was hosted on athas.org we then we were a go, but I can’t find were I saw that. So, athas.org, do you have permission to give? If so, pretty pretty pretty please!

~PauloftheWest