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Legal Issues for Editors

This looks like it might not apply with IMR/CGL. Can we post tables and rules summaries on the Wiki? It seems like it would be a decent place for the writers to aggregate the effects of errata, and post clarifications to frequently posted questions.

First off, someone needs to update the legal disclaimer on the Wiki, as Topps is the current owner. The WizKids brand name and the rights to the HeroClix franchise were sold off by Topps to NECA, and as such, has no relationship to Shadowrun IP rights anymore.

Secondly, could you not aggregate errata and answers to FAQs with a collection of hyperlinks? Point the way to where information can be found instead of copying and reposting the information?

I would not recommend putting in Tables or rules summaries. If people want a convenient rules reference, they need to buy the books on .pdf

If errata directly affects an article, mention it and provide a link to their errata downloads.

Yes, there are certainly ways to make the errata information available. The problem that I'm discussing isn't getting the raw information to the player, the books do that, it's reorganizing it in ways that make it specialized to the Wiki entry in question.

For instance, when I'm looking through the Diagnostic Profile Test rules in Augmentation there is a table with various thresholds, and the writing refers to the normal healing modifiers table in the basic book. Rewriting and compiling all of the Medical rules into a single, more convenient table where all of the information on the subject from all of the books is aggregated would be nice.

It would be nice, but it's not exactly legal. Standard copyright doesn't allow you to copy the rules or tables onto the wiki.

Thanks, that's what I was looking for. I thought that was the case, but I couldn't find anything in writing on the site anywhere except the statement that when WizKids owned SR we could make use of "such names, logos, artwork, marks and/or any proprietary materials for promotional and informational purposes on its website" which should cover copyright rules. But we have no WizKids, so I didn't figure that would hold. I am also not a lawyer, so I don't know that being able to quote lines like this one has any legal standing. Damnit, why is Intellectual Property Law such a raw bitch?

The new version of that line is available at http://www.shadowrun4.com/legal.shtml. Topps basically maintained the same policy that WizKids had before it. This includes the policy of asking for their written permission prior to posting published copyrighted material to your own website.

Thanks for the linkey. So we would need to bug Topps about it. Bleh. Not going to happen, likely.

That's another reason why Eclipse Phase's Creative Commons license is nice. It explicitly does give you permission to copy their material onto the web, as long as it's for non-commercial purposes.