83 replies to this topic

[Corralis]

Source: https://www.kickstar...obotech-academy

After all the harm they have caused Mechwarrior fans, I say we do everything in our power to make sure that this never gets funded. Maybe then Harmony Gold will finally give up their copyrights and we can have our beloved Warhammer (and others) back (doubtful but worth a shot).

[Ghogiel]

inb4lock

[Signal27]

I'd rather write them a letter stating that if they reign in their lawyers and let Battletech/Mechwarrior use those mech designs, we'll throw a few bucks at their Kickstarter.

[qki]

Too late probably - the very fact that they attempted to kickstart a new series will keep their claim alive.

Ironic thing is - they never had one to begin with, since the company they bought their "exclusive" rights from only held rights to the animations, while the rights to the designs were held by someone else (and that's where FASA got their rights to use the images).

[Corralis]

qki, on 05 July 2014 - 05:31 AM, said:

Too late probably - the very fact that they attempted to kickstart a new series will keep their claim alive.

Ironic thing is - they never had one to begin with, since the company they bought their "exclusive" rights from only held rights to the animations, while the rights to the designs were held by someone else (and that's where FASA got their rights to use the images).

I don't know, maybe they are doing it to see if there is any interest alive in their IP. If the kickstarter fails then maybe (just maybe), they will try and cash out and sell their ownership of the designs.

Ghogiel, on 05 July 2014 - 05:27 AM, said:

inb4lock

I'm guessing either locked or moved to off topic personally

[El Bandito]

Signal27, on 05 July 2014 - 05:30 AM, said:

I'd rather write them a letter stating that if they reign in their lawyers and let Battletech/Mechwarrior use those mech designs, we'll throw a few bucks at their Kickstarter.

This is a smarter choice. Both sides win.

[LordKnightFandragon]

Harmony Gold trying to make a movie or something? They can go away....

[Egomane]

Not about MWO?

To Off-Topic we go!

[Corralis]

Egomane, on 05 July 2014 - 05:50 AM, said:

Not about MWO?

To Off-Topic we go!

Called it!

[Zolaz]

Egomane loves Harmony Gold.

[Egomane]

Zolaz, on 05 July 2014 - 05:54 AM, said:

Egomane loves Harmony Gold.

Hey... careful there. I don't like that company much either.

But I need to admit that I have the complete Robotech collection on DVD (because Macross is hard to get even in germany) and I participated in the Robotech Tactics tabletop kickstarter (to get some new miniatures of the original macross designs).

I do like the Macross universe and I have franchise of it from other companies as well. For example Bandai and the sadly no longer existent Yamato Toys. From some of them I don't even know the company that made them as it wasn't printed anywhere on the packaging. I'll take what I can get, even if it is from the devil in the form of Harmony Gold.

Edited by Egomane, 05 July 2014 - 04:30 PM.
several cases of really bad spelling

[Modo44]

qki, on 05 July 2014 - 05:31 AM, said:

Too late probably - the very fact that they attempted to kickstart a new series will keep their claim alive.

Exactly. As far as I know the issue, Harmony Gold is not about making money for itself, but about blocking mech-related brands from competing with the Japanese stuff as much as possible. Having tangible legal claims is a requirement for that.

[Hex Pallett]

Speaking of which, what is FASA doing lately? Wikipedia says it's still alive but I don't see it anywhere.

[Rashkae]

Wanna bet they do a better job with the movie than PGI has done with BattleTech?

[CyclonerM]

This was much better.

Besides, another children cartoon?

We should rather have a whole decalogy of Battletech Hollywood-level movies!

Edited by CyclonerM, 05 July 2014 - 06:52 AM.

[Tank]

If company is down to crowdfunding their projects - that most likely mean they can't get a bank loan do the high risk of not making profit to return the loan. I say this devil is paralyzed and on life support and only prolonging it's own agony.

[Hex Pallett]

Rashkae, on 05 July 2014 - 06:46 AM, said:

Wanna bet they do a better job with the movie than PGI has done with BattleTech?

I'll bet against it. Never could a good movie be made out of table-top games. FACT.

[9erRed]

Greetings all,

Reference FASA:
- Microsoft acquired the electronic rights to FASA properties when it acquired FASA Interactive in 1999 and formed FASA Studio's.
- FASA was shut down in 2007 by Microsoft.
- Smith and Tinker acquired the rights to MechWarrior and Crimson Sky's shortly thereafter.

Ref:
- FASA Studio was dissolved in 2007 and all of the FASA rights were then licensed to Jordan Weisman. In 2007 Weisman founded Smith & Tinker. It was through Smith & Tinker that Weisman was able to relicense his old FASA properties. Smith & Tinker has licensed the electronic entertainment rights to Crimson Skies, Shadowrun, MechWarrior and other FASA properties that had belonged to Microsoft.
- On September, 2011 Weisman partnered with Piranha Games to create the MechWarrior Reboot called MechWarrior Online.

Harmony Gold lost a court case referencing there legal rights to 'what they thought' was exclusive rights for the MechWarrior distribution in the US. (apparently the company they bought these 'rights' from didn't actually own them.)

- Still a hotly contested topic.

9erRed

[Alaskan Nobody]

Helmstif, on 05 July 2014 - 06:46 AM, said:

Speaking of which, what is FASA doing lately? Wikipedia says it's still alive but I don't see it anywhere.

As 9er said, the people who were FASA now run Smith and Tinker.
FASA itself (despite Wikipedia) no longer exists

[CycKath]

Corralis, on 05 July 2014 - 05:23 AM, said:

Source: https://www.kickstar...obotech-academy

After all the harm they have caused Mechwarrior fans, I say we do everything in our power to make sure that this never gets funded. Maybe then Harmony Gold will finally give up their copyrights and we can have our beloved Warhammer (and others) back (doubtful but worth a shot).

Japanese rights holders are just likely to block for the very same reasons as HG, only the fact FASA/Fanpro/Topps have run very hard away from Macross stuff and created the reseens would save them from new lawsuits from that angle.