[FuzzyIzmit]

I dont know how many of you guys here write with the hopes of one day getting your work possibly published, but I got a question for ya'll (hehe, I said ya'll!) Anyway....I know if you write a story you dont want to use other authors concepts and stuff, and I would never want to have some one think i am "stealing" thier stuff. I was wondering if the word "drow" was sort of copyrighted by...Forgotten Realms (? who ever makes the Drizzt books etc) or if it was a general enough term that any writer could use it, like "elf" or "orc" etc. I dont know how picky everyone is about specific races....
thank for you help
Fuzzy

[sycophant]

That's a good question. I would assume "drow" is OGL, though, since many companies have published books about the drow. I would assume this would follow over into purer fictional works, though you couldn't use Drizz't, or any other FR names or places for obvious reasons.

[FuzzyIzmit]

I am not going to use other characters names, just the race name...dark elf gets repetitive after a while. I didnt want to step on any toes if I ever get the cohones (sp?) to publish it. BTW what does OGL mean?

[sycophant]

Open gaming license. I think I may be wrong, though, after reading your last post. Not sure if those D20 publishers are using "drow" or just calling them "dark elves". Looks like drow is taken from myth though, so you're probably ok (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drow).

[Ech'Estar]

Or, you could even make up your own name for the drow if your using your own fantasy world, like Issira or soemthing elvish.

[sycophant]

Or do something completely original and lose the dark PEFs all together! (Sorry, can't explain the acronym, but some of you folks know what I'm saying.)

In all seriousness, step outta the box, eh? (No criticism or offense intended.)

If you do wanna do the dark elf thing, look at the mythological roots and see if you can bring something new to them....

[FuzzyIzmit]

Right now I need to try and get my ideas down, I am not worrying about "thinking outside the box" per se, and no offense taken. I did have a good idea the other night though, I am going to try and find mini's for all of the main characters so that I have something visual to work off of....to bad I cant actually afford them now...I guess thats what x-mas is for, right?

[Orsino]

FuzzyIzmit, on Oct 8 2004, 10:56 AM, said:

....I was wondering if the word "drow" was sort of copyrighted by...Forgotten Realms (? who ever makes the Drizzt books etc) or if it was a general enough term that any writer could use it, like "elf" or "orc" etc. I dont know how picky everyone is about specific races....

This page's information on the word "drow" is correct, as far as I recall. It long predates the birth of D&D, and in any case, single words can't be copyrighted. It may well be a trademark of WotC's, though--registered or otherwise--in which case you should be careful in how you use it.

Stick with a mythological basis for your critters that isn't derivative of WotC-owned material, and you'll be fine.