Last week we reported that Fast Forward had taken four of its products off sale due to violations of the Open Gaming License (see 'Fast Forward Takes Four Products Off Sale').  We asked John Danovich, Fast Forward's VP Sales and Marketing, for some additional information on the events surrounding this action. 

 

Was this the result of litigation?

We received a notice of violation of the OGL which requested a cure within 30 days.  Wizards of the coast specified four separate books of ours that had used characters and gods that violated the OGL.  They did not ask for any specific cure, rather leaving that up to our judgment and their approval of cure.  Upon receipt of the notice, we immediately destroyed all copies of the four books in our possession.  This was not specifically asked for, but we felt it was the right thing to do.  We also posted a public disclaimer on our Website stating the problems and the cures.  Again, this was not asked for, but we felt it was the proper response.  We have received a verbal response from Wizards of the Coast that our actions were sufficient cure. 

 

How did the errors occur?

Some of our authors are former TSR authors who created the characters and gods in the first place.  In fact, one of the referenced characters is Drawmij, which is [Fast Forward CEO] Jim Ward spelled backwards.  The author erroneously used the names figuring the creators had the right to use of the names. 

 

In another instance, an author referenced an OGL statement in the back of Monster Manual II and incorrectly discerned that the use of the characters within were OGL, when in fact they were not.  The OGL statement in the back of the Monster Manual II was for the use of OGL material that WotC was using, and our author was in error.  The use of the character and gods in our books was in no way a challenge to the rights of Wizards of the Coast. 

 

When were the books released?

Rings of Power was our second hardcover book, released in October 2001, with the other three ranging form just under a year ago to roughly one month ago.

 

How many copies were destroyed?

There were only a few hundred of each book left in our possession.

 

What percentage of the original print run was destroyed?

Depending on the book, anywhere from 5% to 30%, as some of the books had much lower print runs than others, and one book was a recent release.

 

What steps is Fast Forward taking to prevent a recurrence of these events?

We are embarrassed by this situation, and have apologized for the errors.  WE have publicly announced our errors and have taken what steps we could to prevent more copies getting out to the public.  Will we stop doing d20 products?  On the contrary, we intend on releasing some of the most innovative and unique d20 products in the marketplace, and have several licenses that are going to be fantastic d20 products in the very near future.  We will also continue to work within the framework of the OGL and d20 System agreements.  When we released our first hardcover book that was referenced in the complaint (Rings of Power), we had only three full time people, two writers and one salesperson.  We now have a staff of over 10 full time employees, including full time line editors.  We also work with a stable of over 40 freelance writers, artists, and graphic designers.  In each case we have stressed the problems that have occurred, why they occurred, and the solutions to preventing further errors of this nature.  We have placed some additional checks and balances within our systems to make suret hat we are complient with the d20 System and OGL.