Last week, Live Action Role Playing Game (LARP) publisher White Wolf announced that it was going to begin requiring license fees from anyone who collected money to play its games (a practice that would have penalized the many game-masters who pass the hat to recoup the costs of their elaborate preparations, hall-rental, costume production, etc). After major outcry from their players and customers, they've backed down off the policy. This wasn't the first time they've tried to assert more copyright than their customers were comfortable with and gotten burned; maybe this time they've learned their lesson, though.
Based on all your feedback, it's obvious that the policy as currently worded is not going to accomplish these goals. So, we are pulling it off the table as a blanket policy. I realize that the proverbial genie can't be shoved back in the bottle, but the guidelines I handed to a few people at ORIGINS and posted here last week clearly need to be reworked and rethought, so please consider them withdrawn.
I expect to chat with some of the major LARP organizations running World of Darkness games in the coming weeks in order to hammer out license terms that address their needs and ours, and don't penalize the player community that has made the World of Darkness what it is (and that pays my salary).
(Thanks, Carabosse and Nick!)