My understanding is that any reference to Golorian, Age of Lost Worlds is not open game content. No problem. However, in the Pathfinder 2 GM Core book chapter 3 is about AGE OF LOST OMENS and this is where Paizo lists the planes: ex. Plane of Fire, Plane of Air, Astral Plane, Ethereal Plane, Elysium, Abaddon, Hell, Heaven, Nirvana, and so on.
Are the names (titles) of these planes copyrighted and therefore cannot be mentioned at all in a 3rd party publishing based on the Pathfinder rules? I find it difficult to believe that anyone can copyright these names given that they appear in ancient texts and religions throughout the real world that have existed for centuries. For example, Christianity uses the terms Heaven, Hell, and Abaddon within the context of their religion. Yet these appear under the Glorian Age of Lost Omens section of the book.
As a planned to be third party publisher, using Pathfinder rules for my world, what legal use do I have of the planes provided in the Pathfinder game system?
My goal is to produce a product and write it in a way that is 100% COMPATIBLE with Paizo licensing but I have specific questions about things. So is there a place on the message board forums that the Pathfinder STAFF MEMBERS answer specific questions to avoid copyright infringement.
I take it that this is a completely ignored area of the message boards. It's a shame. This part of the message boards is so valuable to people wanting to create compliant products that support the Pathfinder game at the same time.
Ok thanks, I saw the heading of the thread and took it to mean that if a person was making 3rd party products its where to ask about legal details.
I've been publishing under the terms of the Compatibility License since April 2023. Per the terms of the License Agreement I send a copy of the PDFs to Paizo for review. I've never heard back from them about corrections needing to be made, but then again, I use a unique planetary setting of my own invention and only refer to the Golarion-centric system as "Charted Space".
As a newbie then, it seems to me Paizo will let you go your own way as long as you show your work and will correct you if you get out of line.
It sounds very nice to get a lawyer's opinion that you can proceed to use generic names, but, as the OGL-ORC debacle proves, having correct advice doesn't prevent a lawsuit, it just prepares your defense for one.
If I could snap my fingers and make a wish, I'd have the number of a Paizo attorney who'd promise me on their behalf that my work was fine and I wasn't in any danger. But that isn't how they operate. Considering that I can latch onto their game system without sharing profits, I guess I get what I pay for.
If you want my advice, skip using their cosmos in the Pathfinder 2E setting. Yeah, "Heaven" and "Nirvana" aren't owned by Paizo, but Heaven and Nirvana as planar settings in a game are somebody's IP. Invent some gods, have a divine rebellion, establish your own planes as a result.