Forum:OGL vs GFDL, possible multiple copyvios

I would like to draw your attention to the suspected incompatibility between GFDL and the Open Gaming License (hereafter referred to as OGL). This might mean that we have a multitude of copyvios on Wikia and is, IMO, a huge matter. --TOR 19:28, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

What is OGL and what's it for
OGL is a license created by Wizards of the Coast, a producer of a number of Role-playing Games, most notably Dungeons & Dragons.

OGL allows companies and individuals to distribute and modify content released under the license and, therefore, to publish standalone gaming products using those game mechanics.

More information:
 * 'Open Gaming License' Wikipedia article
 * 'Wizards of the Coast' Wikipedia article

Compatibility issues
I am not a lawyer and may not be right about this, but after reading both documents it seems to me that they are incompatible.

Consider the following:
 * 1) There is no OGL &rarr; GFDL compatibility, because:
 * OGL reads:
 * 2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License.
 * 1) '''There is no GFDL &rarr; OGL compatibility, because:
 * GFDL reads:
 * You may copy and distribute the Document in any medium, [...] provided that [...] you add no other conditions whatsoever to those of this License.
 * AND
 * OGL reads:
 * 10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
 * (which seems to be an additional condition)

Wikias involved

 * d20npcs (info)
 * dnd (info)
 * pl.dnd (info; inactive, but was intended to be a Polish version of dnd)
 * Note: this list may be inconclusive.

Possible solutions

 * Closing the Wikias: A drastic, but clear and easy solution.
 * Deleting OGL content: It is possible that in some cases OGL content will not be the only thing on a wiki. The community might delete the offending pages and continue to develop the wiki without OGL content. This could save some Wikias but would require a lot of effort.
 * Allowing OGL: Allowing portions of articles to be licensed under OGL while the rest would be GFLD would solve the problem. However, this might open the way towards new licensed being introduced on Wikia, which would probably only confuse editors and hurt the projects.

Discussion

 * Please discuss this issue below