A Lawyer's Deep Dive into the Dragonlance/WoTC Lawsuit (VL342)

The Dragonlance series of books, themselves an offshoot of the Dungeons and Dragons brand, has been around for decades, but now finds itself at the center of a thorny legal dispute.

Fan favorite authors Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis, responsible for the core of the series, have sued the holder of the Dragonlance and D&D intellectual property, Wizards of the Coast (itself owned by Hasbro) for breach of contract and "bad faith" dealings.

What is the basis for the claim? What is Wizards of the Coast doing (or not doing) that gave rise to this action? And what, if anything, do outrage mobs, misogyny, claims of racism (and more) have to do with anything?

Sometimes the thumbnails don't get updated...in Virtual Legality.

#Dragonlance #WoTC #Lawsuit

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CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction/Dragonlance IP
09:02 Lawsuit Overview
21:40 The Alleged Facts
40:00 The Authors' Legal Claims (Breach, Good Faith, Interference)
53:43 Conclusion (Request to Finish the Trilogy)

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Discussed in this episode:

"Dragonlance authors sue Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of The Coast"
Polygon - October 19, 2020 - Charlie Hall
https://www.polygon.com/2020/10/19/21523673/dragonlance-authors-weis-hickman-sue-wizards-of-the-coast-dungeons-and-dragons

"Hey Hoeg! Here's something you may be interested in..."
Tweet - October 19, 2020 - Joseph La Russa (@Joseph_La_Russa)
https://twitter.com/Joseph_La_Russa/status/1318209741785616384

"Dragonlance"
Wikipedia Entry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonlance

"Q&A: Who Owns Dragonlance?"
Tracy Hickman Blog - January 4, 2014
https://trhickman.com/qa-owns-dragonlance/

"Definitions"
17 USC 101
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/101

"Ownership of copyright"
17 USC 201
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/201

"Termination of transfers and licenses granted by the author"
17 USC 203
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/203

Weis and Hickman vs Wizards of the Coast
Filed October 16, 2020
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7245020-Weis.html?fbclid=IwAR0NcCP9dunPpO8CGRGS9RGVYo8yfm1bCWomEe6d6wnVM3Z0md1DmIK8XsA

"List of Wizards of the Coast products"
Wikipedia Entry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wizards_of_the_Coast_products

"What You Should Know about the Implied Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing"
ABA Blog Post - July 26, 2016
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/committees/business-torts-unfair-competition/practice/2016/duty-of-good-faith-fair-dealing/

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"Virtual Legality" is a continuing series discussing the law, video games, software, and everything digital, hosted by Richard Hoeg, of the Hoeg Law Business Law Firm (Hoeg Law).

CHECK OUT THE REST OF VIRTUAL LEGALITY HERE:
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DISCUSSION IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN THE LEGAL TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR OWN COUNSEL.

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Twitter: @hoeglaw
Web: hoeglaw.com
Blog: hoeglaw.wordpress.com
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DESIGN WORK
Joe Ellis (Logo Design)
Chris Leroux (Motion Graphics)
For more information: contact Chris at @Chrisleroux on Twitter.

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