Yes and no. While the Open Game Content of the Pathfinder RPG and Starfinder RPG is indeed available for use under the OGL, Section 7 of the OGL says "You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark." So while the OGL allows you to make compatible products, it forbids you from indicating compatibility using the terms "Pathfinder," "Pathfinder Roleplaying Game," “Starfinder,” “Starfinder Roleplaying Game,” or "Paizo," since those are our trademarks.
Similarly, the ORC grants you the right to use only the rules content released as Licensed Material. It does not grant the right to use Restricted Material, which includes the aforementioned trademarks.
The Paizo Compatibility License serves as "another, independent Agreement" allowing you to use our Compatibility Logo(s) to indicate compatibility with the Pathfinder and/or Starfinder roleplaying games.
Nope. While those logos are included in the Community Use Package, those assets are only allowed to be used in non-RPG products under the Fan Content Policy. If you’re making a product that’s compatible with one of our games, it is almost certainly an RPG product and needs to use the Compatibility License (and Compatibility Logos) instead.
No. While previous versions of the Compatibility License required publishers to register, the current version of the license does not. You agree to the license by using the trademarks it grants permission to use, and do not need to sing up anywhere.
Yes and no. Anything you previously published under a former rules-set specific Compatibility License is fine. But those licenses are not available for new publications. Those must be made under the consolidated version of the license. What game system you are claiming compatibility with determines what logo you have permission to use, but the logos themselves have not changed.
Nope. The Compatibility License only permits you to use specific copyrights and trademarks denoted as Product Identity under the OGL or Restricted Material under the ORC. If you’d like to make RPG products using our settings or characters, you can do so on the Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite community content programs. For non-RPG material, like tee shirts, posters, or plushes, see the Fan Content Policy.
You're allowed to use this license to create compatible websites and online tools that are freely available, but you're not allowed to create fee-based sites or online tools under this license. If you want to do that, you'll need to procure a commercial license to do so.
The Paizo Compatibility License applies only to printed books, electronic books, and freely available websites, and is not available for use with apps.
You may use our game content, released as Licensed Material under the ORC or as Open Game Content under the OGL, in apps so long as you comply this those licenses. But you can’t use the “Pathfinder,” “Starfinder,” or “Paizo” trademarks, nor the associated logos.
As far as acquiring a commercial license from us, frankly, that option will only be considered for established software publishers with excellent reputations and solid business plans for their prospective apps.
Start by contacting our license manager at licensing@paizo.com... but keep in mind that we don't plan to offer a lot of licenses like that. You'll need to have a very, very good plan that presents exceptionally unique and interesting product ideas.
Yes. But if we ever add an official localization partner in that language, you'll need to begin following the rules regarding languages in Section 6. (Also, please note that this license does not allow you to translate our existing products into other languages; if you want to do that, you’ll need a commercial license and would become one of our official localization partners.)
They each do very different things. The Compatibility License allows commercial and non-commercial users to use a special logo that indicates compatibility with one of Paizo’s game systems—and that's the only thing it allows. The Fan Content Policy allows fans to use a bunch of different Paizo-owned materials, as outlined in that document, but only for non-RPG products like livestreams or blogs or handmade plushes and dicebags and such. If you're making a game product, like your own campaign setting, a book of feats, or a new class, you may only use the Compatibility License. Alternatively, if you want to make an RPG product that does use additional copyright and trademarked items of Paizo’s, you can publish those on Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite.
No. The game mechanics in Paizo’s books will generally be declared as Licensed Material under the Open RPG Content (ORC) license, or historically as Open Game Content under the Open Game License (OGL). To use them, you'll need to use the ORC or OGL, the terms and conditions of which are presented in each RPG product released under them. (Please note that the OGL is Wizards of the Coast's license and the ORC is Azora Law’s, not Paizo's, and so we can't provide any advice about their suitability for your use. You may wish to consider speaking with an intellectual properties legal specialist.)
No. The setting material for both games will generally be declared as Restricted Material under the ORC or Product Identity under the OGL, which means that even the ORC and OGL don’t allow you to use it. You may be able to use some of our Product Identity by way of our Fan Content Policy and/or the Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite community content programs.
Yes, but those licenses don’t grant you permission to use Paizo’s trademarks and registered trademarks, including the terms Pathfinder, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder, and Starfinder Roleplaying Game, and associated logos. So without the Compatibility License, you wouldn't be able to state that your ORC/OGL product is compatible with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or Starfinder Roleplaying Game.
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